Senior year
by Jaguarin
Summary: Huntress began to patrol; but she still had to face her past and her self. Complete
1. Memories from the past

Thanks so much to all for your comments. This is the third part of the serie. I hope you like it so much. Thanks so much to Helenakyle who helped me editing it. And to nightstalker, Yank, Shadow Walker and Shadowpup!!  
  
* * * *  
  
That weekend Barbara was working on finishing a new invention, she called it the transponder. She took a screwdriver and used it to adjust a piece. She was sure that when she finished the transponder, she would be able to walk again. The idea of her invention was to connect her brain to her legs. She didn't know if that would work, but she wanted to try it. She had been working on that machine for almost a year, and she was optimistic about it.  
  
::Barbara.:: The red head listened suddenly Helena's voice on the speakers.  
  
"Yes, tell me." Barbara put a new transistor in the device.  
  
::Why Albert Eintein got the Nobel Prize? ::  
  
"It was in 1921 but not for relativity. It was for his 1905 work on the photoelectric effect."  
  
::Ah. okay.  
  
Barbara kept working and a few seconds later Helena interrupted her again. ::Who said 'The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of.::  
  
". a profound truth may well be another profound truth.'? Niels Bohr, physics; born on October 7, 1885. He won the 1922 Nobel Prize for physics, chiefly for his work on the structure of atoms."  
  
::Ah.::  
  
"What are you doing?" Barbara welded a transistor with her caution.  
  
::Nothing, one more. Rutheford.::  
  
"Ernest Rutherford, 1871-1937. He is the greatest experimental physicist of the 20th century. He discovered alpha, beta, and gamma rays. He also discovered that the energy of radioactivity was not from an external source."Barbara kept silence and raised her head; she looked the screen where she could see the location of the kid. She was at school. "Helena are you cheating?"  
  
  
  
She just heard silence on the com.  
  
  
  
"Helena are you taking an exam?" Barbara felt angry "the comset is not a toy to cheat with. We will have a serious talk when you come back, turn off the mic!" Barbara saw the point on the screen disappear; Helena had turned off the comm.  
  
Barbara moved her head and continued working.  
  
* * *  
  
Barbara waited impatiently taping her fingers on the desk for Helena. She couldn't go back to work on the transponder thinking about the new crazy idea of Helena's. At least she heard the elevator door opened. She turned around to see the girl walking in. Helena closed her eyes when she saw Barbara waiting for her; she took a deep breath and went to her knowing she would be receiving a very hard scolding.  
  
"What was that Helena?" Barbara asked, her eyes locking to hers.  
  
The kid put her school bag over one of the tables and stood up on front of her mentor "It was a good idea." She said.  
  
"That was cheating! I don't to like be part of your cheating! Why you didn't study?"  
  
"I did it, but those ones were hard. Barbara didn't you ever cheat on exams? You must have!"  
  
"Of course not!"  
  
"You were really boring." Helena mumbled.  
  
"That's not funny." Barbara crossed her arms.  
  
Helena saw Alfred walking in the upper lever. "Hey Alfred, you know her well, I'm sure she cheated at school! Did she?"  
  
"Not exactly cheating." He said looking them. "But she sometimes needed to take advantage of some situations."  
  
Barbara glared at him "What are you talking about?"  
  
Helena smirked and encouraged him, "Tell us."  
  
Alfred stood up in the second floor and looked down "I just remember that motorcycle contest; she was very good doing that but she wanted to teach a lesson to some one and she just needed some information about how fast the bike of her opponent would be."  
  
"Alfred!" Barbara exclaimed.  
  
"He deserved to be taught a lesson miss Barbara, for that reason I helped you. And Master Dick understood that he must respect you as a heroine after that."  
  
"Dick?" Helena looked Barbara who blushed "Who is Dick?"  
  
"Master Robin, later Nightwing. A very close friend of Miss Barbara" Alfred said and returned to the kitchen, he smiled knowing they had taken the bait.  
  
"A close friend?" Helena was surprised and looked her mentor "You never told me about your close friends. Was he a. boy friend?" Helena smiled. Barbara blushed more and the kid clapped "He was your boy friend! Tell me, come on!"   
  
Barbara almost killed Alfred with her gaze; she knew Helena had done that on purpose to avoid the continued scolding. "Alfred!" she shouted.  
  
"Barbara who is this Robin guy?" Helena insisted curious.  
  
"Don't change the subject, you cheated!" Barbara said annoyed.  
  
"So did you." Helena answered crossing her arms.  
  
"No, that wasn't cheating!"  
  
"Any way, tell me who Robin or Nigh thing is? You never spoke to me about him."  
  
"No way!" Barbara said.  
  
Helena looked up and ran upstairs calling Alfred. Barbara was sitting there with her mouth hanging open having no clue how she had lost control over the situation.  
  
"Who is this Robin?" Helena sat on the table behind Alfred. She wanted to know more about Barbara as a woman. She always was discreet about her personal life, she always appeared to be almost perfect and always had control of any situation.  
  
Alfred was preparing the meal, "The partner of Master Bruce.  
  
"Partner? He worked with a partner?"  
  
"Yes, a young boy, he lost his parents when he was a teen."  
  
"Well this is like a Karma, in this family everybody lost their parents," Helena frowned.  
  
"They were Batman and Robin." Alfred explained "Later Robin turned in Nightwing. Miss Barbara deduced Batman's true identity based on Robin's. (Batman family #3) And Robin presumably spilled the beans to Batman. It was full disclosure all around." "I'm not stupid, and I am a detective." Barbara said wheeling into the kitchen.  
  
"What's his real name? He knew you were Barbara?" Helena asked excited "Was he was your boyfriend?"  
  
"Helena." Barbara felt trapped "slow down please. His name is Dick Grayson."  
  
"You two were boy friend and girlfriend?" Helena insisted. Alfred asked for permission to open the refrigerator and took out some tomatoes. He returned to the table to cut it in pieces.  
  
It was hard for Barbara to talk about her life. She always scolded Helena about that. But Helena needed to accept that Barbara was like her in that fact. They were both very secretive about their lives.  
  
"Well." she hesitated ". It was never official."  
  
"You kissed him?"   
  
"Helena! That is not a point of conversation." Barbara blushed again. Alfred asked her for permission to take a dish from one of the shelves. Barbara wheeled back to let him walk by.  
  
"What? It's natural to kiss a boy!" Helena raised her hands "What is the matter? I have kissed boys!  
  
Barbara raised her brow. "You? You never told me."  
  
"Of course not, you never asked me."  
  
"How many boys have you kissed?" Barbara felt surprised.  
  
"Well I could just tell you that I'm a master of the kissing thing, but don't change the subject. We are talking about you." Helena said.  
  
"Excuse me." Alfred said and took a knife from the behind Helena.  
  
"But first we were talking about you!" Barbara pointed her.  
  
"Okay, but now we are talking about you." Helena grinned.  
  
"Okay, we meet when he was Robin and I started my career as crime fighter. We both were almost eighteen."  
  
"Wow and what happened with Dick or Robin or what ever his name is?"  
  
"Nothing." Barbara played nervous with her fingers.  
  
"Nothing? Never had sex?" Helena's eyes shone waiting her answer.  
  
"Helena please!" Barbara said with annoyance in her voice.  
  
"Ladies," Alfred said smiling "I want to cook and you two want to discuss, why don't you do that at your place and not in my kitchen?"  
  
"You started this whole mess." Barbara said to him.  
  
"You were a young congress woman right?" Helena took a coke out of the fridge and sat on a chair next to the table.  
  
"Yes, my accelerated schooling and college degree allowed me to be registered as a candidate."  
  
"So why is so hard for you talk about something that is as natural as love?" Alfred exited in a discreet way of the kitchen. "I think it might be better for me to order a pizza." "Hey! Look who's talking!" Barbara pointed Helena.  
  
"When did he gave you your first kiss?" the kid took a sip of coke.  
  
"Well. it was. it was me who kissed him."  
  
"What?" Helena spat her coke.  
  
"Oh God Helena, look what you do to me do!" Barbara covered her face ashamed.  
  
"Tell me. tell me."  
  
Barbara took a deep breath. "Robin make me the suggestion that I can hang up my cape and I greeted him with a demure thank you. Then, I knocked the wind out of his lungs with a kiss that left him too stunned to offer further advice." (Batman family #1)  
  
"And later?" Helena crossed her arms on the table.  
  
"It's difficult to have a relationship when you are a crime fighter." Barbara explained. It was hard for her, but she tried to give her best effort. "We just flirted, we kept it at a platonic level. Nothing had ever happened between us. He changed his name, he began to work as Nightwing, not as Batman's partner. He moved to Blüdhaven to try to find his own identity. Now he is the leader of Teen Titans, and I know that he has a relationship with his alien teammate, Princess Koriand'r, Kory, a young girl from Tamaran planet. We talk some times but that's all. Now there is nothing between us except friendship, like there always was."  
  
"Is he is the only one that had ever caught your attention?" Helena rested her chin on her hand.  
  
"No, Jason Bard, a detective was my first boy friend."  
  
"Tell me about him."  
  
"No, enough for today.!" "Barbara!"  
  
"No way!"  
  
Alfred smiled while listening in on the discussing at the other side of clocktower. He had the phone on his ear, "Good afternnon," he said, "I would like to order a large pizza with ham and cheese and three sodas."   
  
* * * 


	2. Inner thoughts

It was the coldest night of the year in New Gotham. The streets were decorated with Christmas lights and ornaments. The first snow of the season fell over the city. Winter was a season that usually made Helena feel sad. She had her face right up against the window of Clock Tower seeing the snowflakes covering the balcony floor.  
  
Helena remembered her mother every day. She couldn't avoid the feeling of emptiness in her heart during winter. A season where all day she just could read and listen to songs. It was marvelous to have a new family. But the sense of loss was still strong inside her. She and her mother used to go out shopping, and just walk along together looking at the lights and the Christmas trees around the city.  
  
Barbara kept an eye on her. She saw her lost in her thoughts. The kid had given her a new lease on life. She helped so much in many ways and Helena didn't notice that. She knew that during this season Helena felt especially sad, but she didn't say a word. She kept her feelings to herelf.  
  
Helena felt more secure about herself. Her nightmares were still with her and followed her. But she was going to face them, and it was a daily battle. Helena told Barbara that she wanted to do sweeps at nights. The kid inside wanted to prove to herself that she could be as good as her father.  
  
Barbara knew that Helena had been working on the Delphi's system some times trying to learn more about Batman and Bruce Wayne. She had discovered how important Batman was as crime fighter, that his work was almost impossible to equal. Helena felt a heavy weight rest on her shoulders when she realized that.  
  
Helena had many opposing feelings inside. In one way she felt well and secure knowing that she had the ability to help others with by usingher meta skills. Sometimes she wasn't sure if she really wanted be a hero. And at the same time, she wanted prove to her self that she could be as good as him, and that she don't needed him or his money.  
  
Helena couldn't forgive him for not taking revenge against her mother's killer, and the man that had injuried Barbara. She couldn't understand how he could just disappear.  
  
Barbara observed her. She had promised Helena that she could start patrolling that weekend, as soon as she could fix some details in her necklace.  
  
"Helena you have a party to go to tonight," Barbara said to her trying to get her atention. "Are you going to go?" "Yes..." she answered with out emotion.  
  
"I'll go to dinner with my dad and you can come back at any time."  
  
"Okay"  
  
Monosyllables weren't a good sign. Barbara wheeled over to her. She stood up next to the kid. "Are you going to go with your boyfriend?," Barbara asked.   
  
"Matt is not my official boyfriend. and no. I broke up with him. he was nice but, boring."  
  
"If you want I can change my dinner plans and we can go outside."  
  
"Oh. no, no Barbara." Helena blinked "I just was. thinking."   
  
"Thinking?"  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes." Helena stood up and looked her watch. "It's late, I need go get ready to go to the party."  
  
Barbara saw her walk turn to running. She knew Helena was avoiding talking to her. She bit her lip and wheeled back to the computers. Although confined to her wheelchair due to her physical disability, Barbara's intellect was virtually unrestricted. She had managed to utilize her keen intellect and her technological knowlege to ascend to the role of a veritable Priestess of Information. She continued working as free lance with her operatives and as the primary information broker for the crimefighters in the world. Oracle was a palpable presence throughout the world, tracking, researching and forever watching.   
  
With her disabilities, Babs had pretty much hidden herself high up in her office clocktower, but she didn't want accept it. Very few visitors dropped by, apart from the occasional family member. But she still managed to kept contact with the outside world through the Net, and at school.  
  
* * *  
  
Helena had a good time with her friends talking and laughing at the party. It was a big one, some of her friends were playing, and others dancing. She enjoyed those moments of fun. After a few hours she had a few drinks in her.  
  
She was sat in a couch with Linn, a friend.  
  
"Hey Helena," she asked, "after finishing High school, are you going to go to University?"  
  
"Not now. I'm not sure yet about what career to choose, and I need earn money to go there. Barbara wants to pay for my career, but I want earn money before."  
  
"Are you comfortable living with a handicapped person? I guess it would be hard."  
  
"Barbara is more agile than you and me together. You would be surprised to see all the things that she can do. Usually she is the one that helps me." Helena took a sip of her drink.  
  
"Are you sad? You look like you are."  
  
"No, I'm fine, just tired" she looked her empty glass "I'll be right back."   
  
The ballads began to play. Helena went to the kitchen to get another drink and went back to the living room. Some of her friends were dancing. She rested her shoulder on a wall enjoying the sound of the music. She saw many of her friends dancing and hugging while they danced moving slowly, to the music. She took a sip of her drink, inside she would have liked to have a boy friend next her, someone to trust, to talk to, to hug. She half-closed her eyes to feel the rhythm of the soft music.   
  
She felt a tap on her shoulder, she turned around and felt a soft kiss on her lips. She closed her eyes and felt the lips. Later she returned the kiss while enjoying the moment. She had needed that. Two arms held her waist and she let the moment take her. Suddenly she opened her eyes and reacted when she saw Gibson in front of her. She punched him in the  
  
face. He went tumbling over the chair.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" she shouted.   
  
"I. I." Gibson mumbled touching his jaw.  
  
"Touch me again and I'll use your head as a football!" Helena was really pissed. She took her bag and walked out the party.  
  
* * *  
  
Barbara was massaging to her legs. She took the time to exercise them patiently every day. She knew that she needed do that to keep them in good shape and to avoid muscle cramps. She was thinking about Chirstmas Eve. She wanted to prepare something special for Helena. Maybe a dinner with her dad. She felt a strong presence in the room, she stopped massaging her legs and raised her head. Helena was against the door frame of the gym with a can of pop held to her lips.  
  
"Your party?" she asked "It's early."   
  
"Gibson messed it all up, he pissed me off."  
  
"Gibson?"  
  
"He kissed me..." Helena walked in.  
  
"What?" Barbara laughed "Why would he do that?"  
  
"Tequila. Let me help you," Helena took off her coat and opened a bottle of oil to help to massage Barbara.  
  
"Are you drunk?" Barbara glared at her leaning back. "Helena."  
  
"Hey take it easy, I'm okay." Helena started to give her a massage "I'm just a little wasted, not durnk. I jumped very well between the rooftops when I came here back."  
  
Barbara sighed. "Okay, I'll just ask you be careful Hel."  
  
"Turn over please." Helena asked and put a bit more of the oil in her palms. "I just was drunk once."  
  
"Any way, I asked you be careful. Alcohol is not good. Could you please massage my lower back?" Barbara asked crossing her arms and resting her face down. "It's been annoying me all afternoon."   
  
"Sure" Helena raised her blouse a bit and she saw her terrible scar that the surgery left after the Joker had shot her. She was shocked at the sight of the scar, she had helped her with massage sesions on her legs before. But she had never seen her scar on her back that ran down her waist. It was almost a picture, a sad memory of a terrible night for Barbara and for her. Some times she forgot that Barbara had a physical scar from that night. She felt the cold again and the sadness.  
  
"Hey you're not listening." Barbara said.  
  
Helena blinked and began to massage her back, first avoiding her scar.  
  
"No. I was thinking."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Many things" Helena touched lighty her scar and stopped. She looked her mentor.  
  
Barbara turned to see her. "Are you okay?"  
  
"It didn't hurt you?"  
  
"No, why?"  
  
"Your scar"  
  
Barbara smiled "No, of course not, is just a scar on my skin Helena. Touch it, nothing will happen."  
  
Helena stated to rubbed her back slowly.  
  
"The pain was gone a time ago.." Barbara mumbled while closing her eyes.  
  
"How difficult was.?"  
  
Barbara took a deep breath "Very, I didn't deserve it."  
  
"How could you survive this? I. I don't think I could do it. Suddenly your whole world changed." Helena said to her.  
  
"I only had two options: die slowly, closed in my pain and my anger or staying alive and breathing, facing all my fears. I chose the second one." Barbara looked her "Which one would you choose in my place?"  
  
"I would tell you the second one, but it's easy to say it and difficult do it."  
  
"I knew that if I failed, letting my weakness win, I wouldn't survive. And I wanted to do it. It's all in your mind Hel. The only limits in your life are the ones that you set."  
  
Helena started to bend her legs up and down. "I could hear you groaning from pain in your legs. How could you feel it if you couldn't. feel your legs?"  
  
"Sometimes the brain can deceive. It's a natural reaction, it always happens when you have lost a part of your body. Many people that lose her legs felt an itch where their feet used to be. It's called phantom limb pain and it's very real."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes it's true. Hey you are very good at doing this." Barbara watched her over her shoulder.  
  
"Maybe, it would be because you taught me how do it." Helena said distractedly.  
  
"Yes, I guess so."  
  
Helena felt a sadness inside, she thought it was unfair. Barbara was a great person, she had a big heart. Many other people are healthy and don't deserve to be alive, such as the Joker . Because he killed her mother, she thought the life was unfair. The image of her mother was again in front of her eyes. She would pay anything just to be able to touch her once more, to be with her just a minute. But was impossible, and all her strength was useless to bring her back. 


	3. Sadness

Although confined to her wheelchair due to her physical disability, Barbara's intellect was virtually unrestricted. She had managed to utilize her keen intellect and her technological knowlege to ascend to the role of a veritable Priestess of Information. She continued working as free lance with her operatives and as the primary information broker for the crimefighters in the world. Oracle was a palpable presence throughout the world, tracking, researching and forever watching.   
  
With her disabilities, Babs had pretty much hidden herself high up in her office clocktower, but she didn't want accept it. Very few visitors dropped by, apart from the occasional family member. But she still managed to kept contact with the outside world through the Net, and at school.  
  
That weekend Barbara was in front of Delphi's, she looked at her watch and turned her head to the elevator. She started to type, after a few minutes she looked at her watch again and then the elevator again. She tapped her fingers on the desk impatiently. It was the first night of Helena patrolling and she felt nervous. The kid was good, really good, but she felt nervous anyway.  
  
"Helena it's late!" she shouted. Suddenly she heard the elevator door opened. "What is that?" Barbara looked surprised Helena's costume.  
  
"My work clothes." Helena said raising her hands and looking her black clothes, a top, pants and high boots with a short coat. She had a pony tail.  
  
"Helena that is a oufit to go to a party."  
  
"No, they are just are cool clothes."  
  
"If every time that you patrol you are going to take your time dressing for a party, New Gotham is lost" Barbara sighed.  
  
"I could be a crime fighter and still look nice." Helena shook her coat.  
  
"Vain."  
  
"It's bad to want to look nice?"  
  
"You need a costume and a mask, I told you." Barbara scratched her head.  
  
"No, no, I don't need one. You needed one, me no." Helena pointed. "It's dangerous for you."  
  
"Not if no one sees me."  
  
"Why you are so stubborn?"  
  
"Again the same discussion?" Alfred walked in front of her "Let me remind you two that the last time you two were discussing almost two hours and the score was 0-0, no one won."  
  
"Okay, it's your choice, come here." Barbara turned her chair to the computer. "This is Delphi system okay?"  
  
"Pleasure." Helena put her hand on the back of the chair and leaned over the screen.  
  
"Well I need you to keep your necklace on. Here on the screen I can see where you are and where are you going."  
  
"That part don't like me."  
  
"On this other screen I have the police frequency and I know what's happening in the city. I'll call you and advise where the trouble spots are."  
  
"Is this legal?"  
  
"No, and don't ask okay?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"We can start with a common thief." Barbara said typing on the keyboard. "I need for you start with something easy."  
  
"Killer Croc wasn't easy." Helena crossed her arms.  
  
"I know, but I don't want to put you at risk unecessarily. You get into enough trouble on your own. Now go."  
  
Helena rolled her eyes and walked out. Alfred entered the lab and stood next Barbara after seeing Helena stepping into the elevator. The door closed.  
  
"This time it's serious, she starts patrolling at nights. Are you sure that she is ready to go out alone?" Alfred asked crossing his hands in his back.  
  
"No." Barbara said looking him surprised by the question.  
  
"So?"  
  
"I'll follow her in the Hummer but don't say a word, she doesn't need to know."  
  
"Smart move."  
  
"She doesn't think sometimes. I don't want her to get herself killed.  
  
"Yes, that's true."  
  
"Remember this is our secret." She took her keys and wheeled to the elevator. "See you."  
  
"Good luck." He smiled watching her go.  
  
* * *  
  
Helena was crouched over a big building with New Gotham at her feet. It was marvelous to see the lights of the city and the movement down below. She closed her eyes feeling the cold wind on her face. Now she understood why Barbara missed her days of being Batgirl. It wasn't only being a crime fighter, it was the freedom that allowed her to breath there.  
  
::Okay, I'm testing it again. now copy clear?:: she heard Barbara's voice  
  
"Yes, it's better now, a few minutes ago it was awful."  
  
::Frequency problems solved. Helena go to your right ::  
  
"To my right, got it."  
  
* * *  
  
A man was hitting a woman in an alley. The woman screamed. She was a lady that was used to working on the streets, her dress showed that. He was tall and put her into a corner and he took his belt off to hit her.  
  
"I said you must pay me!" he shouted.  
  
"Leave me alone!"  
  
A hand touched his shoulder and he turned.  
  
"Put down that thing"  
  
"Stupid bitch." He tried to hit her but Helena stopped his wrist. She turned and kicked him making him fell. He stood up and charged her.  
  
Helena jumped and the man crashed against some empty boxes. He stood up again and tried to hit her, but Helena was to agile and she avoided all his blows. She moved faster and punched him twice, with a final kick she make him fall.  
  
He sat on the floor and saw that her lip was bleeding, "Who the hell are you?"  
  
"I'm the Huntress. and you are my prey." She kicked him again and he fell. She stood up faster and ran down street.  
  
::The Huntress?:: Barbara asked.  
  
"We are hunting right? Do you have a better idea?"  
  
::No. sounds good.::  
  
"And it's as cool as my clothes" Helena turned to see the woman and helped her to stood up.  
  
::I thought you would call yourself 'lady of the rings'::  
  
"Very funny," Helena kneeled next the woman "She is bleeding from her head Barbara."  
  
::Oracle please, we are working.:: the red head corrected her.  
  
"Okay Oracle, she is bleeding."  
  
::Tell her that there is a Fire Department two blocks ahead, they could help her.::  
  
"Where?" Helena turned back, "She is bleeding so much."  
  
::Just tell her. She will understand, they have paramedics there and they will help her:: Oracle sighed.  
  
Helena explained to the young woman and she walked toward it. She looked her go. Suddenly she felt danger; she turned on her. "Problems." She said.  
  
::What happen Helena?::  
  
"Huntress, we are working."  
  
::Okay, Huntress.::  
  
Helena saw suddenly the guy that she had beat up followed by four more men.  
  
"Time to play bitch" He smiled.  
  
"You never told me that a hero received so many insults," Helena told Barbara. "I thought a hero would receive cheers and hurray's"  
  
::You never asked.:: Barbara answered. ::what happened?::  
  
"Our friend brought some friends with him. Party!" Helena smiled.  
  
::Be careful::  
  
* * *  
  
Barbara was worried, she took the binoculars that she had in her front seat of the Hummer and watched the fight. She had been following her with the lap top. She was hidden in a corner following her protegee, she want be sure that she was safe. She watched in amazement at how Helena moved. She was a natural fighter, agile and strong. Not one of the men could touch her. Finally Helena knocked out all the men.  
  
"Very good" Barbara said.  
  
::Thanks.:: Helena smiled feeling proud of her self.  
  
"You just need to practice ducking a bit more."  
  
::Yes, I. hey how do you kow that?::  
  
"I'm Oracle and.."  
  
::Yes I know I know, and Oracle sees everything:::  
  
* * *  
  
The streets of New Gotham were full of people and cars. The snow now covered all the city with almost 6 inches. All the department stores were full of customers buying their Christmas presents. The Christmas season was on. At Clock Tower, Barbara was guiding Alfred decorating the Christmas tree. Alfred was up on a lader installing some lights. She had some ornaments in her hands.  
  
"To the right Alfred." she said. "Yes there. now the star."  
  
"Wouldn't it would be better for Miss Helena climb to the top?" he asked. "She is thirty-five years younger than me."  
  
"Yes. it would be better. She is outside putting the lights on the clock." Barbara wheeled outside while Alfred stepped down off of the ladder.  
  
Barbara went out on the balcony of the Clock Tower and looked up. Helena was sat at the top of the clock tangled between the cables. She almost finished installing the lights. She smiled seeing her growling and fighting to untangle the lights.  
  
"How is it going?" Barbara asked her.  
  
"I hate this."  
  
Barbara saw the socket on the floor and connected it. The lights came on illuminating everything, including Helena. "You look great up there, I should leave you there."  
  
"Ha, ha." the kid faked a laugh.  
  
"I need you inside to put the star on top of the tree. Hurry up."  
  
"I'm coming,."  
  
Barbara wheeled inside the Clock Tower again. Alfred was finishing putting the ornaments on the tree. "Miss Helena?" he asked. Suddenly a big noise was listened. Barbara saw some of the lights fall through the window of the Clock, she raised her brow.  
  
"She is coming, she just jumped down off the rooftop with her usual style."  
  
After a few seconds, Helena walked in cleaning her clothes off. "Those lights are a big problem."  
  
"Maybe if you untangle it first, it would be easier." Barbara said handing her the star. Helena looked around "Did you finish?"  
  
"Yes, just help us with the star."  
  
Helena put the star on the top of the tree and she moved down next to Barbara. She put her hands in her pants pockets. The tree was marvelous, and the ornaments were beautiful.  
  
"It's a nice tree." Barbara said. "We didn't celebrate Christmas the  
  
first year."  
  
"Well" Helena sighed with sadness "We didn't have many things to celebrate."  
  
Barbara looked her and nodded. "But now things looks better."  
  
"Yeah, that's true." The smell of the tree brought Helena's old memories back to the past; years spent in her home with her mother. She smiled lightly.  
  
* * *  
  
"Helena where are you?" Selina asked walking down stairs. It was almost three o clock in the morning and her child wasn't in her room. She rubbed her arms, it was freezing and it was snowing. She must always keep an eye on her.  
  
The child was just 4 years old but she would disappear with ease. Last year she had taken her to a department store and in a second she had disappeared. A few minutes later she found her over a big train that was hanging as an ornament from the ceiling almost five feet over the floor. She had jumped there. The lights had caught her attention and she wanted to touch the Santa Claus that was inside the train and moved his head mechanically.  
  
Selina walked into the kitchen, and later she went to the living room. She turned on a lamp. And looked around. "Helena?" She bit her lip and walked to the couch. She looked behind it and smiled. Helena was curled trying to felt warm while she slept on the floor. Selina moved the couch and kneeled to pick her up.  
  
Helena opened her sleepy eyes when she felt her mother picking her up, she pushed her back with her hands  
  
"No mom." she said drowsily.  
  
"Shhh. It's cold, you are freezing." Selina told her in low voice.  
  
"I want. to catch Santa and you are making too much noise, go away"  
  
Selina smiled "You what?"  
  
"Let me." Helena was more asleep than awake. She rested her head on her mom's chest with her eyes closed, "I want to catch Santa."  
  
"If Santa sees you, he won't leave you a gift." Selina walked to the stairs with the child in her arms.  
  
".No it's dark. he couldn't see me but I could see him."  
  
"That's cheating Hel." Selina laughed.  
  
Helena hugged her mom and started to purr. "Leave me in the living room mom," she asked almost asleep.  
  
"Okay, just let me put a sweater on you, okay?" Helena nodded lightly. Selina put Helena on her bed and covered her with the bedspread.  
  
"Go mom.Santa will come." Helena whispered turning to her side.  
  
"Okay, I'll go, good night." Selina kissed her forehead.  
  
"Nite."  
  
She stood up smiling watching her child sleep. It was the best gift that the life could give to her.  
  
* * *  
  
Helena blinked, she could feel that moment and smell her mother's scense; her eyes were moist, she swallowed and walked out the room with out saying a word. Barbara realized that she was crying and looked at Alfred, he had seen her too. He nodded and Barbara followed her.  
  
Helena stood up at the cornice of the balcony looking down. Suddenly she felt lonely. She felt an emptiness in her soul. She listened to the noise of the wheelchair behind her and she wiped her tears away quickly. "I guess that we could install some lights here too right?" Helena said and didn't turn around. She was trying to avoid seeing that Barbara had realized that she was crying.  
  
"Yes, it would be good." Barbara sighed "But you can do it later, it's snowing now."  
  
"No, I could do it now." Helena walked faster showing her back to Barbara. She kneeled to untangle the cables where she had been working a few mintes ago.  
  
"May I help you?" Barbara asked.  
  
"No, go inside, I'll finish in a few minutes."  
  
Barbara kept silent and didn't move. She almost could touch the sadness of the kid. "Do you feel okay?" she asked.  
  
"Of course, go inside Barbara is so cold here."  
  
Barbara moved her head and wheeled back to Clock Tower. As soon as Helena heard the door closed, she covered her face with her hands and cried, feeling small, very small.  
  
* * * 


	4. Frustration

After dinner, Barbara went to her room and locked the door. She went to her mattress and put the transponder on her waist, and turned it on. The main box was on her back, she took a deep breath looking at the ceiling. Now was the moment she would find out if her invention would work.  
  
She pressed a button and the transponder made a soft noise. She closed her eyes and swallowed. She put her elbows over her mattress and looked her feet. *Came on * she focused on move them. She leaned back and let out a frustrated sigh. At the first she felt angry and later, sadness.  
  
* * *  
  
Helena was doing a good of job patrolling the city. Barbara was surprised by the abilities of her protege. Her skills were amazing and the kid was really smart. Barbara wanted he to study at University but Helena had only promised Barbara she would finish high school. She said she would wait a bit before it. And she wanted earn money on her own to pay it.  
  
Barbara couldn't convince her to accept her father's money, so she just supported the kid's decisions. The red head was thinking about that while she continued working in her transponder.  
  
The light blanket of snow covered the rooftops and streets. The moon was up, in the middle of the dark sky. It was late, a woman walked down street to her home near the park, her small children followed her behind. Suddenly two guys appeared and pointed a gun at her asking for her money. Her scared child hugged her legs . One of the men took her bag and looked for money but he only found twenty-five dollars.  
  
"This is all you have?" he shouted slapping her.  
  
The scared woman stepped back.  
  
"I'll teach you a lesson bitch." He said taking out a knife.  
  
A shadow fell between them. The man was surprised to see the beautiful young woman in front of him. Her gaze was cold and her pupils were only two slits. She smashed her fist into his face making him fly backwards.  
  
She locked her eyes on the man with the gun. He pointed it at her.  
  
"Go away!!" he exclaimed.  
  
She walked toward him with her fists balled up locking her eyes on him.  
  
"Don't take another step bitch!"  
  
Huntress moved fast and she kicked him making the gun fly out of his hand. She hit him again because she was angry. The other man stood up and she stoped him with a punch to his face. She ducked to avoid a blow to her head from the second man. She kicked him in his stomach and turned to give him another kick to the face. Huntress was really pissed now, so she punched the two men harder. She didn't remember most of the fight. She had been blinded by her rage. She just knew she had hit the men but she couldn't recall the details. Before she realized it, she had knocked out both of them. She looked around waiting for them to attack again, but they were unconscious.  
  
Barbara listened as Huntress cried, and watched the woman and her child. Both were hugging each other, they were scared. Huntress walked to them and kneeled touching the woman shoulder.  
  
"Everything is fine, it's dangerous for you to walk alone at night, and it's snowing." Huntress pulled out her allowance and gave the woman a twenty dollar bill. "Take a cab."  
  
Barbara had never felt so proud of the teenager as she did now.  
  
"No." the woman said.  
  
"Take it as a Christmas dinner contribution." Huntress smiled "And take a cab, please, it's late. At the next corner there is a hotel and are some taxis outside."  
  
The woman nodded and picked up her kid and she shook Huntress's hand giving her thanks. Later she walked to the next corner. Huntress stood up watching her go. The girl smiled at her and waved her hand saying goddbye. Huntress did the same. She sighed, she didn't like  
  
her present so much. She hated that her mother was dead. She hated being an orphan and that she didn't have the opportunity to be with her mother like that kid.  
  
::That was a nice touch.:: she listened Oracle's voice.  
  
"This is a shit." Huntress said.  
  
::Hey, be careful with that mouth!:: Oracle said. ::What's wrong with you?::  
  
"Nothing." she walked to the opposite side of the street. Huntress felt jealous of that girl, she had her mother still with her. She felt angry and frustrated. She could help her, and strangers, but she couldn't help her own mother.  
  
::Huntress, I had been watching you the past few days, you are acting in a strange way. What is wrong?::  
  
"Do you have another signal on your computer? I want some action." Huntress began to walk in circles.  
  
Oracle didn't answer, she knew something was bothering the kid. ::Huntress:: she said after a few seconds ::do you want to talk?::  
  
"No, What's next?"  
  
::Something is bothering you.::  
  
"Damn! No!." Huntress let her fury out and hit a trash container with her fist denting it. "Just tell me what to do." The idea that she had the capability to help her mother and she she hadn't was frustrating.  
  
* * *  
  
At Clock Tower Oracle heard the loud noise and pressed her lips.   
  
"Please come back." She said knowing Huntress wasn't well.  
  
::I don't want come back!:: Huntress shouted ::I want kick some ass::.  
  
"There is nothing, come back Huntress. I want talk with you." Oracle insisted.  
  
::I don't want talk::  
  
"Huntress it's not good to fight while you are feeling the way that you feel now."  
  
::I'm feel okay.::  
  
"Huntress I'm asking you, please come back, you need calm down. Something is bothering you, I don't know what it is but we can talk."  
  
::Okay, so I will look for my own ass to kick.::  
  
"No Huntresss." Oracle saw the signal disappeared. The kid had turned off her mic. "Damn!" she groaned worried. Something was happening with the girl and she would get into trouble easily.  
  
* * *  
  
Huntress jumped between the rooftops for several minutes. On her way she had beat up two more criminals. But she still felt angry. She crouched in the corner of a building looking down. There was a green house on the next corner. She saw two guys trying to open the main door. She smiled and jumped to the building in front of her so she could enter by the back door of the greenhouse.  
  
The men walked in slowly and turned on their hand lights. They were looking for the safety box. The exited the green house and found a wood door. They broke the lock and entered. Inside was a marvelous and incredible garden. Both men looked around surprised. They began to look for the safe. They kneeled in front of the safe and took out their tools to open it.  
  
"Are you looking for something?" they listened a female voice behind them.  
  
One of them tried to hit her with a pipe and she jumped back. She grinned. "Okay, you asked for it." She kicked him. The other guy stood up and took the box with her tools and hit her in the stomach with it.  
  
Huntress grunted and bent over. The second man jumped over her.A red-haired woman opened the door and was surprised to see the fight with the the woman in black. She smashed the man that had jumped over her into the floor, and she turned fast to kick the other one. She ducked to avoid a punch and she hit the man again with her fist.  
  
She was more agile and moved faster. The woman was surprised, she had seen that woman before. or she remembered her some one else. Her movements, her body. The men ran away as soon as they could. Huntress was going to follow them but the voice of the woman stoped her.  
  
"I know you." She said.  
  
Huntress turned her face and looked her from feet to head. "I don't think so."  
  
"Yes." the woman observed her "It's true, but you remind me of some one."  
  
"Maybe another wild cat. See you." Huntress walked to the door.  
  
"Don't go, I want to say thanks." She tried to buy time.  
  
"You already said it." The kid said opening the door.  
  
"I'll like see you again, this guys would come back. They are looking for my most valuable plant."  
  
"Call the police" Huntress grinned "They would help you."  
  
"Just remember my words, they would come back with more henchmen."  
  
Huntress stopped and looked her again "Which plant?"  
  
"One that will arrive the next weekend. It's a very expensive and strange plant. If you come here back I'll show it to you."  
  
"I hate plants."  
  
"You are a crime-fighter, right? My name is Pamela, Pamela Isley. Im the owner of these place. I'm new in the city. I hope that you come back."  
  
"Maybe." Huntress said closing the door.  
  
The woman stood up and put her hand over her chin. She was sure she had seen that girl before or.  
  
"It couldn't be." Pamela mumbled and smiled. "But I guess yes.."  
  
* * * 


	5. Hurting my friend

Helena returned to Clock Tower almost at 4 am. It was really cold outside, she rubbed her hands and put them inside her pockets. The door opened and she walked in. She went to the kitchen and began to prepare her dinner. She was grateful that the coffe was still warm in the coffe machine.  
  
"Why did you turn off the mic? I was worried about you." she heard Barbara's voice behind her.  
  
"I'm not a child, I not need a nanny." Helena said turning to see her.  
  
"Helena, you weren't at a party, you were patrolling, you shouldn't turn the mic off just because you want to do it!"  
  
"What is the problem if I turn this damn thing off?"  
  
"Your life is in danger every time you go outside." Barbara explained.  
  
"You wanted it, right? So, this wasn't my idea, was your idea that I went out to patrol." She spatted to her.  
  
"We are a team and you could be in danger. How I could do my part if I don't know what is happening?"  
  
"I know how to take care of my own self."  
  
"No Helena, this work is dangerous and more. If you feel over confident, you could fail!"  
  
"That is a risk of 'our work'... failure. So until I do fail, back off!" Helena took a quart of milk out of the fridge and opened it. "I know what to do! What is your problem? If I leave this thing on you can listen to everything, and maybe you will be lucky enough to hear someone shoot me."  
  
"Lucky? Helena, what's going on?" Barbara asked worried.  
  
"Why are you mad? You can't do anything if someone shot me, you are here. I'm in the streets, far from you."  
  
"I'm here taking care of your back. I don't want to see you get hurt by a criminal."  
  
"Imagine that, imagine that some one shoots me." She swallowed a bit of milk from the box "What are you going to do?"  
  
"Help you, of course."  
  
"How? Are you going to run to help me? Are you going to help me to kick ass? Please! Don't joke with me!" she exclaimed.  
  
Barbara felt tears in her eyes; her protegee had been so cruel.  
  
"Shit" Helena mumbled realizing her mistake and closed her eyes.  
  
"You are right." Barbara said in loud coice "I can't walk, I can't be a normal person. I can't be as I once was. I didn't choose to be in this chair! I was trying to do the right thing. That took the life out me, and I fight everyday to continue on like this!"  
  
Helena opened her mouth trying to said something but Barbara didn't let her.  
  
"I'm here always. To listen, to help, to not be useless!" the red head shouted "I fight every day against myself, against my pain and I don't use you to vent my anger out on. I don't close the door to my friends and the most important thing: I don't joke about their limitations and the things that I know will hurt them."  
  
"Barbara."  
  
"Good night." She wheeled to her room trying to avoid crying in front of Helena.  
  
"Barbara I'm sorry." Helena followed her, but the red head didn't stop.  
  
She ran and stood up in front of her putting her hands over the armchair. "Barbara I'm sorry." Helena felt the cold glaze of her mentor and saw her eyes full with tears.  
  
"Get out!" Barbara exclaimed.  
  
"Barbara please." the kid felt her heart sunk.  
  
"I said get out" Barbara clenched her teeth "You have just told me what you think of me, and I'm sorry, I'm sorry that you just could only see this damn chair and not me. Good night."  
  
"I'm sorry" Helena mumbled.  
  
"I said good night" Barara, using the strength of her wrist, removed Helena's hand off of the arm or the wheelchair. She almost pushed the brunette and went to her room. Helena felt really bad, she followed her with her eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry! Barbara I'm really sorry." Helena mumbled; but her mentor closed the door "I'm stupid!" Helena screamed, "Do you hear to me? Barbara!" The kid felt tears falling over her cheeks. She knelt down covering her head with her hands crying. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."  
  
* * *  
  
Next morning Helena was sat at the kitchen table waiting for Barbara to wheel out her room. Alfred knew something was wrong when Barbara wheeled into the kitchen and said a cold 'morning' to the kid. They didn't speak all that time. Helena felt her heart sink. Barbara finished her breakfast and took her books. Helena followed her in silence.  
  
Barbara drove to the school in silence. She felt frustrated to know that Helena thought that she was useless too, as did many people around her. She hated that the people would see her in a different way. She could do all the things that the others could do, and frequently much better...except walk. Sometimes it was hard moving her chair on the sidewalks. The people looked her as hindrance in the way and didn't let her pass or pushed her chair. It was hard, very hard be an hero free to go to any place and then later be chained to a chair.  
  
Helena felt really ashamed. She was trying to find the right words to say to Barbara, but she couldn't find them. "Im sorry." she said in low voice. Barbara kept her eyes on the road. Helena raised her head and saw her. "I didn't want to say that."  
  
"But you said it, that's enough." Barbara said with cold voice. "Now I know what you think of me, what you always have thought of me."  
  
"I don't think."  
  
"I don't want to talk about it, okay?" the red head interrupted.  
  
"I want apologize."  
  
"I don't want listen your apologizes. They don't change the way that you look at me. You are almost eighteen, do anyhing you want. It's your life, If you think that you could manage your life alone. Do it, I was just in the way, but don't worry, I'm out now."  
  
"Barbara." Helena tried to fix her mistake.  
  
"Enough!." Barbara shouted.  
  
The kid lowered her head, she had hurt Barbara so much. Her mentor... she didn't deserve it. She didn't know what to do. Barbara seemed be strong, but inside she was fragile, she had just one vulnerable point that could break her in thousand of pieces and she had hit her there.  
  
They arrived at school. Barbara took her bag and books. "I have a long meeting, If you want, you can leave as soon as your classes finished. I'll be here until late tonight. I told Alfred to prepare your dinner." She groaned. Helena nodded with sadness, she was pushed away by the only person that really cares about her. And it was all her fault.  
  
* * * 


	6. Where I go?

MERRY CRISTMAS TO ALL FRIENDS AND THANKS FOR YOUR REVIEWS!!!  
  
* * * *  
  
Helena felt terrible the rest of the day. She went back to Clock Tower early and she ate alone at the dining room table. Alfred had saw her sadness and had tried to comfort her but had been unsucesful. She had refused to talk. He knew in that moment the problem was serious.  
  
The time ran slowly, Helena saw the clock every minute waiting for Barbara to get back. After some hours she sat at the lab, she had been there almost an hour. After a few minutes more Helena heard the elevator door opened and she stood up. Barbara wheeled in. She put her books and bag over one of the tables and went to the computer ignoring Helena. She put her eyeglasses on, took out her notebook and began to type data. Helena didn't move behind her. She waited a few seconds before ask:  
  
"Are we going to patrol tonight?."  
  
"No." Barbra answered with cold voice.  
  
"No?" she asked dissapointed.  
  
"No."  
  
Helena looked away and hesitated a second "Why not?"  
  
"Because I made a decision."  
  
Helena kept silence a few seconds before asking again."Are we going to patrol tomorrow?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well."  
  
"Helena you hate this," Barbara faced her "you always tell me that you aren't sure. I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do. So, this is over. It was a stupid idea, I thought you could be a good hero and I was wrong."  
  
"You. were wrong?" Helena muttered.  
  
"Yes, being a hero is not your life choice. You want to be a normal teen. I'm sorry if I forced you to the training and all those things. You did all these just to please me."  
  
"That's not true."  
  
"Yes it's true, and I'm tired." Barbara stopped talking and went back to her work. "I'm tired of trying to make you be something that you hate... It was my mistake, I'm sorry."  
  
Helena kept silence, she didn't expect that answer.  
  
"Go to any place you want, the night is yours." Barbara sighed.  
  
"Barbara."  
  
"Helena I have a lot work to do, okay?" she almost shouted angry.  
  
"May I go out to see Gibson?"  
  
"Do anything you want, it's your life."  
  
Helena felt a knot in her throat and lowered her head. She stepped back and went to the elevator in silence and exited the Clock Tower. Alfred listened all the conversation and walked to the lab. He stood up in front of Barbara, she kept her attention on the computer.  
  
"What's wrong Alfred?" she asked impatient voice a few seconds after she saw him just standing in front of her.  
  
"Nothing, I was just thinking." He answered.  
  
"Are you going to tell me that I was rude?" she asked him.  
  
"You read my mind."  
  
"She's always in a bad mood, it's my fault. I thought she would be a hero and I was wrong. I forced her to do something she didn't want to do." Barbara said feeling a lot of anger within.  
  
"Miss Barbara, I think that you are breaking your first rule: Don't let your anger control your mind." Alfred raised her brow. "There is something behind all of this."  
  
Barbara took off her glasses and looked him. "She thinks that I'm an useless disabled person, a nuisance in her life."  
  
"I don't think so. She usually reacts with anger, with out thinking. Christmas is still a hard season for her."  
  
"She told me what she thinks of me."  
  
"You know that's not true. She is learning, she is just a kid."  
  
"No Alfred, she is a woman who knows what is doing."  
  
"Miss Barbara, she is young, she is commiting mistakes as you once did, as everybody does."  
  
"I know that, but I need for her to think about what she wants."  
  
"And do you think this is the best way? Being hard on her? Closing your heart to her? Oh, I see. You are trying not to feel guilty."  
  
"Guilty of what?" Barbara felt annoyed.  
  
"Of the pain that you know she has inside because you pushed her." Alfred explained.  
  
"What? Alfred what are you trying to say? She always pushed me! She doesn't let me in! She always tells me that she doesn't know if she wants be a hero, if she."  
  
"As I remember you had too your doubts too. You quit being Batgirl sometimes. You spoke in anger to people that you loved. You didn't mean what you said. It wasn't how you really felt about them."  
  
Barbara put her fingers on the bridge of her nose. Alfred always knew how to put her back against the wall "Oh Alfred. It's. She is always difficult."  
  
"And that is a good excuse to push her out? Miss Barbara, you knew she was difficult since the beginning, this is not new. She doesn't have any one, just you. If you push her away, you leave her alone. Alone with all the words: a-l-o-n-e. You have your father but she only has you. What do you think she will do if you close the door of the only place where she feels safe?."  
  
Barbara kept silent. Alfred was right. She had let her anger cloud her judgement. She had been so rude with Helena. "Yes, you are right." She took off her eyeglasses "I know is not an excuse but she made me so mad."  
  
"Is hard to keep control with Miss Helena. I know, but it's harder for her, and the most important thing is that she loves you so much, in her way of course. You know it."  
  
"Yes, that's true." Barbara looked around. "Where did she go?  
  
"After you kicked her out, she left."  
  
Barbara looked at him feeling guilty. She went to her computer and searched for Helena's signal.  
  
* * *  
  
"That's enough Helena." Gibson said to his friend while trying to take the glass off scotch away from her. They were at his house where his parents had a liquor cabinet. They stole a bottle of scotch while his parents were out. They were in Gibson's room sitting on the floor.  
  
"Don't fuck with me!" A very drunk Helena, pulled her hand away.  
  
"Helena, we will get in trouble."  
  
"I screwed it all up Gibson. She will never forgive me."  
  
"What exactly did you do?"  
  
"I hurt her... I always answered her in bad mood and got her, hic!. in trouble." She emptied the glass.  
  
"Who is she?"  
  
"Barbara, I told her. I told her many awful things. you should have seen her face. I broke her heart. I'm a shit."  
  
"You can talk with her, say you're sorry." Gibson said.  
  
"She is the only one that cares about me and I called her useless." Helena mumbled and started to cry while Gibson brushed her hair with her hand.  
  
"Oh Helena, she will forgive you soon, she is just mad now."  
  
"No.. she looked me as she never has before. She was... really hurt. I'm a son of bitch. I screwed it all up." She grabbed the scotch bottle again.  
  
"Helena, it's late" Gibson took the bottle too. "Barbara must be worried about you."  
  
The kid pushed him back with incredible strength. He hit his back against the door, and looked angry at her. Helena poured a bit of scotch in her glass and drank it fast. Gibson walked toward her, took the bottle and crashed it against the wall. "That's enough Helena!"  
  
"Fuck you! Why you did that?"  
  
"I'll take you home" he took her by the arm.  
  
Helena pushed him. "Let me alone!" she shouted "I don't need you or. Barbara" she stood up hesitantly. "I don't need any one of you!" the kid stood up a few seconds in silence "I just need my mom."  
  
"You can't go alone, you aren't in any condition, let me take you home." Gibson took her arm again.  
  
"I don't have home!" she shouted "I screwed it all up! Don't you understand? I hurt the only person that loves me! I'm a shit!" she crashed the glass against the floor.  
  
"I love you too..." Gibson said in low voice "I love you so much. In a way that you never would give me back."  
  
"I screwed it al." Helena walked to the window and jumped down. Gibson tried to stop her unsuccessfully. She disappeared into the night.  
  
* * *  
  
"Where is she now?" Barbara asked by phone "Okay, don't worry." she hung the phone up and looked at Alfred showing he concern. "She was with Gibson, she was drunk but she left the house, she is not okay. He don't know where she went and I can't locate her, she has the mic turned off."  
  
"What are you going to do?"  
  
"It's snowing, I don't have any idea about where she would be. She told him that she didn't have a home. Alfred, I need find her." 


	7. Cold snow

It was snowing and freezing, but it seem to bother Helena, who ran and jumped over roof tops until she felt her lungs were going to explode. She suddenly realized she was at the cementery. It was dark, she put her hands in her pockets and walked to a familiar place. She kneeled in front of the tombstone and with her hand began to sweep the snow off of it. The name of Selina began to appear. She sat on the wet floor and looked it in silence several minutes.  
  
"I screwed it all up..." she whispered "I always screw up everything. I'm stupid. now she hates me."  
  
The kid just stayed there in silence looking the tombstone. The snow covered slowly the name of her mother again. She cleaned it again with her hand and sat down, "You went too fast mom, too fast."  
  
Thirty minutes later Helena felt the cold, it really was freezing and she rubbed her arms. She tried to stand up but she stumbled and put her hand on the ground to avoid falling. "Shit, I'm drunk." Was time to go back. She felt sad knowing this time nobody would be waiting for her.  
  
She began to walk, staggering until she found a building and jumped up. She was walking in the cornice of a building trying to kept her balance. She felt woozy, but she didn't care. She lost her step and almost fell. *stupid building* she thought. She kept her balance again and looked down. *Where are the bad guys when some one needs them?* Suddenly she heard a loud noise, a glass broke. She smiled and ran to where the noise was listened. She wanted fight, punch, hit, knock, kick.  
  
A gang of five guys had broke the glass of a truck parking on the street. She jumped down and fell behind them. She felt the adrenaline running in her blood.  
  
"Wow, look who is here, a nice girl" one of them said.  
  
"Hi honey, want fun?" other one asked.  
  
"Yes I want to have some fun." Her eyes changed "Who wants be the first?"  
  
In spite of the fact that she was drunk she faught very well, but her reflexs were slow and it made her clumsy. She knocked the first two guys out with just one punch. She wanted to get even her angrier. All she wanted was let out her fury. She kicked a third guy and ducked to avoid the one henchmen who hit her back with a piece of wood. She punched him in the face twice. A guy grabbed her by the neck and another one hit her in the stomach. She moved faster and kicked the guy and threw the man,that had grabbed her by the neck, over her shoulder.  
  
A third guy tried to stab her with a knife and she twisted his hand and kicked him in thes face. She turned fast and ducked to avoid another punch. She took him by the lapel and smashed him hard against the ground. In less than two minutes she had finished with them all.  
  
She looked around, at the henchmen over the floor. "Too easy" she groaned still drunk. Fighting against those men didn't help her to feel better. She stood up in silence a few minutes and felt a tear falling over her cheek. She staggered a bit. She listened to a noise behind her. Two of the men stood up, her eyes changed and she prepared to attack again. One of them took out a knife, the other ran to his car parked behind the truck.  
  
Huntress hit the man with the knife in his stomach and later on his face. He tried to stab her but she took his wrist. He grabbed her by the waist and both began to struggle on the street. The next thing that Helena saw was the lights of a car in front of her. She felt a hard blow on her stomach that make her fly and hit her back her against another car parking on the street breaking the windshield. She groaned and rolled over the hood before fell to the ground. The other guy fell in the other side of the sidewalk.  
  
Helena gasped in pain and brought her hands to her ribs. It hurt so much. She heard the sirens of the police cars in the distance and she hurried to stand up. She barely could stand up, but finally managed to jump to the nearest building. She fell rolling over the rooftop and leaned back over the cold snow that covered the rooftop.  
  
"God." She mumbled holding her stomach and closing her eyes. She was hurt but she couldn't stay there, she needed move. She put her hand on the roof and stood up slowly.  
  
* * *  
  
Helena came back silently to Clock Tower. It was late, she walked hesitantly toward the infirmary and went to the cabinet where she knew Barbara kept the supplies. Her ribs hurt like hell. She looked for an aspirin or advil's bottle, alcohol and gauzes. She bit her lip when she felt a sharp pain on her ribs again and bent down. She took a few seconds before she felt better and she straightened up. She took her blouse and raised it, she saw her skin was turning black.  
  
The best was rest, she was going to take off her coat when she heard the wheelchair noise of Barbara in the corridor. She put the alcohol and the gauzes inside her coat pockets to hide it from her.  
  
"Helena where have you been?" Barbara felt a great relief seing her back. "Gibson called me, he was worried, I. I was worried too. I have been looking for you, but you had the com set turned off."  
  
"Just walking." Helena said and swallowed, feeling her mind blurring. She put one of her hands on the table to avoid falling, she staggered.  
  
Barbara thought she moved hesitantly because Gibson had told her that she almost had finished a whole bottle of scotch by herself. "Are you drunk?"  
  
"No."  
  
"We need talk."  
  
"Tomorrow, I'm tired now."  
  
"Is it true that you were drinking with Gibson?"  
  
"It's my problem. I can do anything I want, you said it." Helena grumbled, "I don't want to talk."  
  
Barbara kept quiet and took a deep breath, "Helena I want to apologize, I was so rude to you but I was mad. I know that's not an excuse to mistreat you. I'm sorry for that."  
  
"It's okay, I screwed it all up, was my fault." Helena felt she was going to pass out.  
  
"I know that something is bothering you, why don't you want to tell  
  
me?"  
  
"No. I see you tomorrow." Helena walked slowly to her room.  
  
Barbara realized something was wrong. "Are you okay?" when the brunette she didn't stop, Barbara grabbed her arm to forced her to see her. Helena spun around with an abrupt movement and hissed in pain bending down holding her ribs.  
  
"What's wrong?" Barbara asked worried holding her to prevent her from falling.  
  
"Nothing. I just... need rest." Helena moved back, seeing stars in front of her eyes and hearing a buzz in her ears.  
  
Barbara looked her pale face, her lips were white. "What happened to you Helena?" She held her by her wrist. Helena tried to release the grip but Barbara forced her against a table using her incredible upper body strength. Helena tried to avoid it but the pain was intense and she couldn't move, she bend down again groaning.  
  
"You are hurt." Barbara ripped opened her coat roughly and raised her blouse. The kid had a terrible big bruise on her chest. "What is this?" Barbara felt concerned. "Where have you been? Who did this to you?"  
  
Helena wanted answer but she felt like she was inside a black hole and her body weakened. She fell heavily to the floor. Barbara tried to sustain her unsuccessfully.  
  
"Damn! Helena!" she leaned over her. "What happened to you?"  
  
The kid tried to stand up but she couldn't, she groaned. Her ribs hurt to much. Barbara knew that she was seriously injured. "Helena, listen to me, I need you to help me to put you on the stretcher, I need to check you out."  
  
"I can't" she grumbled "it hurts." Barbara wheeled toward the cabinet and took towels and some supplies and put it over her lap. *Well, it seems that I need to work on the floor* she thought. She wheeled back and took a tray and put all the things over it and put it on the floor. She put a towel down under Helena's head as a pillow.  
  
"I'll be right back, don't move." Barbara said. She went to the Delphi and took a small computer and some more items that she put on her lap before wheeling back to Helena. She moved out of her chair and sat next to the kid. She gently raised Helena's blouse to look the bruise.  
  
"Did you think that you could hide this from me?" Barbara felt angry. "Helena this could be serious! Tell me what happened to you." "I was stopping a robbery." Helena whispered breathing fast. Barbara froze "You fought drunk? Helena never do it again, it's madness!" The kid hissed when Barbara tried to take off her coat. "Sorry Hel, but I need to move you. The henchmen hit you?"  
  
"No. a car hit me."  
  
"A car hit you?." The read head examined her thorax.  
  
"My reflexs were too slow, I couldn't move fast enough." "I can imagine why, You reek of alcohol. How much did you drink?" Barbara examined her pupils, the pain make them unfocused and elongated.  
  
"Just a few."  
  
"Tell me how much, I need know. It's dangerous to give you medicine if you have too much alcohol in your system. Is it true that you almost emptied the bottle?"  
  
Helena felt ashamed "Yes, I'm a garbage. I'm sorry Barbara." the kid felt her eyes moisten.  
  
"No Helena, you just are just too impulsive. Did you spit blood?"  
  
"No"  
  
"That's a good signl, your lungs are not punctured."  
  
"Owwww!!!." Helena jumped when Barbara touched her on the chest.  
  
"Oh my God, I don't understand how you could get back here alone, drunk and hurt."  
  
"I'm sorry Barbara." the kid breathed faster. "I'm feel so bad, I hurt you."  
  
"Helena, don't."  
  
"I didn't want hurt you, I didn't want to say that yesterday, I..."  
  
"Hey, calm down, calm down, it's okay." She cupped face with her hands, "Don't worry Helena, I know that you will never try to hurt me."  
  
"But I did," she cried.  
  
"Helena you are drunk, listen to me. I can't give you a tranquilizer, so you must endure the pain, understand?." Barbara prepared a portable special camera to take an X-ray of her chest.  
  
"Would you forgive me? Ouchh" She clenched her teeth when she felt a sharp pain again.  
  
"Helena don't move" she said while she took a picture of her thorax "It's natural that I was mad. I'm patient but I'm not perfect either and I was so rude to you, but that doesn't justify your actions. Like tonight, being drunk doesn't solve your problems, you need face them. Tonight you reacted in a stupid way, what do you want to do...Kill your self?"  
  
"I'm sorry." Helena felt her vision blurring.  
  
"I promise to talk with you but not now, tomorrow when you can think straight."  
  
The kid nodded Barbara used her notepad to examined the image that she had taken. "You don't have broken ribs, you are luckily. Now I need check if you have internal injuries."  
  
"I'm sorry" Helena mumbled feeling her eyes closed and she fell into the darkness "I'm. sorry..."  
  
The kid passed out. Barbara felt a bit of relief, she could heal her with out hurting her so much.  
  
* * * 


	8. Woken up abruptly

Breeze: I never had listen linkin park... Sorry... Thans for your post guys!!! I love it!!  
  
* * *  
  
Alfred walked next to Barbara. She was sat in silence next to the window of Clock Tower. She didn't heard him walked in, either stood up back to her.  
  
"Is cold here miss Barbara:" He said.  
  
Barbara jumped lightly and smiled "You scared me. I needed some fresh air:"  
  
"Miss Helena?"  
  
"She is back, she returned almost in the morning. But she was hurt..." Barbara lowered her hands and rubbed her hands. "She, she went to fight drunk and a car hit her..."  
  
"Is she...?"  
  
"She is okay, okay, but, now i'm feel bad: She hurt with her words, yes, still it hurt me everytime I remember it, but last night; she come here and tried to avoid to me that she was hurt, but she couldn't be on her feet; I needed heal her in the floor. And while we were talking, she asked me forgive her, she look me in a way..." Barbar kept silence.  
  
"She looked you in a way...?"  
  
"She was so sorry, she was afraid that I couldn't forgive her. She broke my heart and I felt, Im feel guilty but at the same time Im angry becouse she almost kill her self drinking as a nut instead face her problems. Something is bothering her and she just keep silence. Now I don't know what to do, I don't know if scold her or hug her. I cant approve of what she did but I couldn't push her more... Was a mistake, my mistake?"  
  
"What mistake?"  
  
"I pushed her to be somthing she didn't want to be. She needs her space."  
  
"You two are very similar" Alfred sighed "Seemed are very strong, but are too fragile to break; You two hide behind the walls you build around yourselves."  
  
"Maybe" Barbara said with sadness and loooked her watch "Better i'll go to check how is she."  
  
* * *  
  
Helena was sitting on her matress looking distractedly out her window, the snow was falling on the street. The next morning she woke up in her bed. She didn't understand how Barbara could have gotten her to her room. She had a terrible headache. Barbara had bandaged her chest, and she felt uncomfortable. But at least now her wound didn't hurt. But the thing that most annoyed her, was she had been acting with lack of maturity and she felt very stupid. She couldn't face Barbara, she felt really ashamed of her recent behavior.  
  
She felt her heart jump when she heard the door open, was Barbara.   
  
"Hey, you are awake." The red head wheeled in "How do you feel?"   
  
"Better. thanks." Helena said not looking at Barbara.   
  
"Let me see you." Barbara wheeled next to her and took off the blanket to examine her chest. The bruise was still black. Helena looked at her out of the corner's of her eye.   
  
"I'm sorry, I was a stupid" she said in low voice.  
  
"Want to talk?" Barbara covered her chest again and locked her eyes on her, "What happened to you?"  
  
"Nothing, just was a bad night." Helena whispered avoiding her again.  
  
"Nothing?" Barbara glared to her "Look at me and tell me again that nothing is bothering you."  
  
Helena kept silent.   
  
"Explain your reaction the other night when you turned off your mic while we were talking?"   
  
"I asked you to forgive me."   
  
"And tell me why you put your life at risk in that stupid way last night?" Barbara was annoyed and tried to control her self. "You were drunk and went into a fight with criminals. Are you nuts? That car hit you because your senses were dazed with the alcohol. Those men could have killed you! What were you thinking? Maybe that you are Superman and invulnerable? Do you think that being a hero gives you the right to act like a stupid child? That it gives you the right to worry me all damn night? Every time we have a fight, are you going to run and hide in a bottle?"   
  
"I was trying to apologize and you didn't listen to me!" Helena felt that now was almost impossible that Barbara could forgive her.   
  
"And? What do you expect? Do you think that just with an apology I could feel better so easily? Please! Helena, I'm human too! I needed time as you often do! As you do now. Listen to youself, you don't want to tell me what is happening with you! I'm angry because I feel helpless. Seeing you keep silent and hiding your self from me hurts me Helena."   
  
Helena brushed her hair with her hands feeling desperate. "Please forgive me." Helena's eyes were moist.   
  
Barbara bit her lip, and moved her head, she touched her hand. "I'm sorry Hel, I didn't want to be rude to you. If you don't want to tell me, it's okay. It's your choice. Just don't let your feeelings interfere in your work on the streets because you would hurt someone or your self. You are out of control. I can't accept or applaud your mistakes, your life depends on you. If you don't have control of your self, you will get hurt or worse. I don't want to lose you." Barbara said with her eyes full of tears. "I'll stop your patrols until you feel better and you solve your problems. I don't ever want to see you fighting drunk again."   
  
Helena looked at her feeling very guilty.   
  
"It's my fault, maybe this was too soon." Barbara sighed "I pressure you so much. You are just starting your new life again. It's too much for you. Your birthday is in a few months, you are going to be 18. I will not be your legal guardian any more, you will be able to live your life and to live any place you want."   
  
"What?" Helena blinked.   
  
"You would have accsess to your mother's money. You will be free. So, I think it's time that you start thinking about where you would like to go or what you want to do. I understand it's hard living with a person like me. I have many limitations and I can't give you a normal life."   
  
"No Barbara."   
  
"Helena," the red head interrupted her, "You need to grow, live your life and later make your own decisions."   
  
Helena felt her heart sink, she didn't want that. She felt happy living with her. "I don't want that."   
  
"I'm sorry. I made my choice, you make yours. I don't want to pressure you any more. I don't want to wake up some day and find you dead." She patted her thigh and wet her lips before saying, "Now rest, you need to do that. Thank God, you don't have anything broken, it's just a bad bruise."   
  
Helena wanted said something but Alfred entered at that moment with a with a meal on a tray.   
  
"Morning Miss Helena."   
  
"Morning Alfred."   
  
"Well, I need go to work," Barbara smiled with sadness and wheeled back. "I'll see you in a few hours, when I get back from school." Barbara went out of the room. Alfred prepared a bed table and put it across Helena's lap.   
  
"She told me that I can leave." she mumbled sadly. "Excuse me?" "Oh God, I hurt her so much" she looked at him with tears in her eyes. "She thinks that I don't like living here and that I feel uncomfortable with her. She told me that I'll be free on my next biirthday and that I can leave. I don't want leave Alfred. I'm happy here"   
  
"Did you talk with her about it?"   
  
"She didn't let me. It's over." the kid mumbled with her look lost.   
  
"Over? What is over?" He asked pouring her a glass of juice.  
  
"Everything. I disappointed her, I screwed it all up."   
  
"Just for one night?" Alfred asked.   
  
"I made fun of her disability, I almost told her that she was crazy thinking she would help me while sitting in that damn chair. The there was yesterday, I behaved like a complete idiot. It was two nights."   
  
"And the panther, don't forget the panther, and the day that you clogged the sinks."   
  
"Shit." Helena rested her head on the pillow and closed her eyes remebering those things. "I'm always in trouble Alfred."   
  
"You must learn to think before act or react. You always let your emotions control your life."   
  
"I have always disappointed her." Helena took a fork and played with the scrambled eggs on the plate.   
  
"That's not true; you gave her many good moments. You are a light in her life. Many times you had forced her to go out, to open her self to others. You have been good company for her on those long boring nights, and more importantly, you listened to her when she felt sad."  
  
Alfred stood up in front of her with his hands on his back. "All people have good and bad moments, just like you two. You must understand that."   
  
"She didn't forgive me yet, she couldn't do it and she told me it's over."   
  
"Miss Helena, she is so worried about you and your reactions. You are a vulnerable target when you react like you did last night. Maybe you might want to think about that in this situation. Since from Miss Barbara's point of view, she is responsible for you. A lovely teenager who at the same time is the daughter of her mentor and one of her best friends. And the most important point, she loves you and she is afraid to lose you. Put yourself in her place, how would you feel?" He raised his brow. "She is happy living with you but she thinks you aren't happy living with her. She only is trying to what would make you happy."   
  
"I'm happy here."   
  
"Don't tell her, show her."   
  
Helena pushed the plate away. "I'm not hungry, do you have any aspirin? My head hurts."   
  
Alfred took off a small bottle of aspirin form his poket . "This and the breakfast. Deal?"   
  
Helena took a deep breath and nodded. 


	9. Back to the streets

Back to the streets  
  
Barbara returned late that day, it was almost 1 AM. She had been in a very long and boring meeting. In one way she felt grateful for that. The tension between Helena and her was so thick that she could cut it with a knife. She had called Alfred to advise him and to ask him to keep an eye on Helena. The kid had a bit of a temperature at midday. She had spent many hours in the cold night air and her clothes were wet. Thankfully it wasn't anything serious.  
  
He was there when she returned. She put her things on the kitchen table and took off her coat.  
  
"It's very cold outside. How is she?" Barbara asked to him taking off her gloves..  
  
"Bad." Alfred said putting his hands behind his back.  
  
"What happened? Is she in pain? Is Her temperature high? Did she take her pills?" Barbara asked worried. "Why you didn't you call me?"  
  
"She is okay physically. She still has a bit of temperature, nothing serious. But she had her heart broke."  
  
"Oh my! What happened to her now?"  
  
"She thinks that you want her to leave because of her behavior."  
  
"What?" Barbara felt angry. "Alfred, I don't have time for these things."  
  
"She told me you said that." Alfred said pointedly.  
  
"I told her that I will not be her legal guardian the next year. She'll be eighteen years old, and if she feels so uncomfortable with me then she was free to do whatever she wants. That I won't stop her."  
  
"So, she misunderstood you."  
  
"Well, tell her that she is wrong and if she wants stay she can." Barbara wheeled toward the coffe machine  
  
"It's not place. You are the one who needs talk with her. She stayed closed up In her room all day. She didn't eat her lunch or dinner. She just took her medicines."  
  
"I talked with her in the morning. I told her that she will be free of me soon, I'm not going to interfer in her life. She is free. It's what she wants. So I am giving her what she wants, her freedom."  
  
"How do you know that's what she wants?" Alfred asked.  
  
Barbara moved her hands nervous "Alfred I need to accept that she is not happy living with me. She wants her own space, that's to be expected.  
  
"She misinterpreted you as you misinterpreted her. I insist that you two talk. It's what you both need to do."  
  
Barbara looked her cup of coffe, "I promise do it. But I need do it when I don't feel this anger inside me or I will hurt her even more. I don't want to hurt her. as she hurt me. I don't know, sometimes we are."  
  
"Closed."  
  
Barbara glared to him.  
  
"You are." Alfred pointed. "But some one here needs be open. And here, you are the head of the famiy."  
  
Barbara felt trapped "Is she awake?" she finally asked.  
  
"No, she is sleeping. She fell asleep and hour ago after I gave her the medicine."  
  
"Okay, I'll go see her." Barbara put her coffee cup on the table and wheeled toward her protege's room.  
  
* * *  
  
Barbara opened the door slowly, she knew it was hard to wake up Helena, she was a heavy sleeper. But she prefered take her precautions. She didn't want a discussion at midnight. She felt tired and wanted to rest. Alfred had left the lamp on the nightable on. She wheeled inside and stopped next to her. Helena was sleeping deeply. She touched her forehead. Her temperature was normal.  
  
Barbara stayed there looking her in silence several minutes thinking. She was sure that the kid felt unhappy living with her and that's what made her feel sad and frustated. The last days Helena had been cold and distant. She guessed it was because she felt ashamed to be living with a disabled person. She had not realized it was because the kid felt she had failed her mother.  
  
Helena began to move restlessy. Barbara could saw the movement of her eyes under her eyelids. "Nightmare", she said to her self. She stayed there watching her thrash around on the bed. She wasn't sure if she should wake up her or not.  
  
Barbara could see the anguish in the kids face, her breathing becoming rapid. Barbara sighed and raised her arm to take the hand of her protege that was over her chest. she squeezed it and immediately she felt the kid squeezing her back. After a few minutes the kid stopped moving around and began to breath normally again. Barbara waited a few seconds before pulling her hand back slowly.  
  
"If she did't trust in you, be sure that your touch wouldn't make her nightmares disappear." Alfred said at the door, "Good night Miss Barbara." He walked to the elevator.  
  
Barbara turned her head. He was right, but she still felt hurt by the kid's words a few nights ago. "Good night Alfred."  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Barbara woke up and went to the school late. She didn't see Helena that morning. She was better since one of her best advantages was her quick healing. The kid had left for school early. At the lunch time she looked for her unsuccessfully. It seemed like kid was a ghost. She was hiding from her. When the classes finished, Helena left before Barbara could find her.  
  
She was preparing to leave for home but the principal called her for a last minute meeting and she agreed, muttering under her breath. She wanted get home early to talk with the brunette. She arrived three hours later.  
  
"Hi Alfred" she greeeted the old man wheeling inside the kitchen. "Is Helena here?"  
  
"Yes, she told me she was tired and went to sleep in her room almost an hour ago. Would you like me to call her?"  
  
"No, let her rest. She's been hiding from me all day." Barbara took off her gloves. "Maybe I could talk with her later. Thankfully the classes will finish tomorrow and I'll have more time to talk with her. She can't hide from me forever."  
  
"Would you like some dinner now?"  
  
"No, I have work to do. Maybe later." Barbara felt upset and decided it would be better if she went to work on the transponder. Now she had new hope. She had a few bugs to iron out before it would function properly. But she was sure she could fix it. While she worked, she was thinking about what to do with Helena. How to teach her how to control her temper and that running away everytime she had problems was wrong.  
  
"Barbara?" she heard Helena's voice behind her.  
  
"Yes?." Barbara finished to put a transistor on the system.  
  
"I'm going out to patrol."  
  
Barbara took off her glasses and turned around to see her. Helena was standing behind her. She was dressed all in black. She had her hands inside the pockets of her long coat. Her expression was serious but firm. "We talked about this Hel, I don't think the time is right yet."  
  
"I'm going to patrol." she said again.  
  
"You are still hurt."  
  
"No, I'm fine. I heal quick."  
  
"Yes, that's true, but."  
  
"I have been acting like an idiot. But I do learn from my mistakes. I can do this, and I can do it well."  
  
Barbara wheeled around to face her as she moved her head "Helena."  
  
"I'm going to do it, no matter if you help me or not." Helena said fixing her eyes on her. "But I'd prefer to do it with you guiding me."  
  
Barbara looked her surprised, she never had heard Helena speak with that much determination. Helena was talking seriously. "Why?" she asked.  
  
"I want to show you that you didn't make a mistaken with me, that you aren't wasting your time training and teaching me." Helena had the determination to prove it to Barbara and to make the redhead proud of her.  
  
"I never said that."  
  
"But you have been thinking it and I can't blame you for that. I can show you that you weren't wrong, that I can do it. "  
  
"You don't need prove anything to me," Barbara said. "I know that you have the capability to do it. Bt you aren't sure you want to do it. You have your doubts and I want you solve those problems first."  
  
"I'm going to do it. Are you going to guide me or I must do it alone?"  
  
Barbara wasn't sure about her yet, but she couldn't let Helena go onto the streets alone. "Okay" she said pointing her "We are going to do it but one condition: when I say come back you come back, no discussions, okay?"  
  
"Okay." Helena turned and walked to the elevator.  
  
"And do not turn off the comm!"  
  
"Yeah" 


	10. A flower to you

Days later. Huntress hid in a stairway of a building. She had been there almost one hour. She was watching through a dirty window. Four men were inside working with out noticing that she was watching them.  
  
"You never told to me about the long and boring waiting times." Huntress wispered.  
  
::This is the hero's life. The police had been looking for this guy. The person who called me told me that it's going down tonight.:: She heard Oracle's voice on the com set.  
  
"Your stoolie is good?"  
  
::Yes::  
  
"So, they think they are gonna be lucky tonight. What are we looking for?"  
  
::Some kind of drug that those men want to buy::  
  
Huntress observed a truck stop and park outside the building. The front door opened. "Truck." she said seeing the truck moving inside the building.  
  
::That must be it::  
  
The man that drove the car went to the four men that were inside the building and began talking to him. They gave him a big suitcase *The money/* Huntress thought. Two of the men opened the back door of the truck and jumped inside.  
  
"It's done, may I come in?" Huntress asked to Oracle.  
  
::Yes, I'm calling the police at this moment::  
  
Suddenly Huentress heard the shots coming from inside the truck. The men outside began to shoot inside the truck and the men with the suitcase shot them. Both fell to the floor bleeding. The man with the suitcase closed the back door of the truck and jumped in the front seat.  
  
He was going to start the vehicle when his door opened. She saw a young lady that grabbed him by the lapel and yanked him out of the vehicle using her great strength. She beat him and he fell unconscious. She walked to the back part of the truck and opened the door with caution. She looked inside and saw two of the henchmen lying on the floor. She checked the neck of one of the men for a pulse as Oracle had showed her. Both men were dead. She felt disconcerted.  
  
::Talk to me, What's happening Huntress?::  
  
"I don't know, those men shot something here inside and the box is empty::  
  
::Empty?::  
  
"Yes. I don't know what they were shooting." Helena jumped inside the box and looked around "There is nothing, just two flowerpots broken, dark earth and broken plants. But there is nothing else." She looked around and scratched her head. "Something scared them."  
  
::And something killed them.:: Oracle added ::I guess I need give you a camera, I woulf like to see those bodies. Describe them to me::  
  
Helena kneeled, it was the first time she had been next to a body "This is disgusting." She said. "One of them has red marks around his neck and his tongue out. The skin is almost blue."  
  
::The cause of death Would be Asphyxia. Yes, I need to give you a camera. Helena the police are near the building, get out of there.::  
  
"Police? Where?" Helena looked around.  
  
::Just go out of there, trust me.::  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Things seemed back to normal after that night. But Helena still felt Barbara was resentful towards her. Before a sweep one night, she went to the greenhose where she had helped the woman during a robbery. She knocked on the door and walked in. Knowing that Barbara loved flowers, she thought it would be a good idea to give her some. That place was big and had a great variety of plants, she looked around.  
  
"Hey you came back" she heard a voice in her back and she turned. Pamela was there.  
  
"Yeah, I'm back" Huntress smiled nervouos. "Good evening."  
  
"Good evening, I was just about to close, it's late. May I help you?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm looking for some flowers."  
  
"It will be a pleasure to return the favor." Pamela examined her carefully.  
  
"Well. I made a terrible mistake and."  
  
"I understand, you want some one forgive you, your mother?"  
  
"No, no, my mom died a couple of years ago." Helena stuttered.  
  
"I'm sorry." Pamela fake a sad face.  
  
"It's okay, she is almost like a mother, she's a friend."  
  
"Flowers are a great gift. What kind of flowers?"  
  
"Well, she loves flowers, every kind of flowers."  
  
"Some one special?"  
  
Helena looked around, a few meters from her, the ones that she knew her mentor would like. She pointed to them. "Those ones, she loves that ones."  
  
Pamela walked to the end of the green house and took them, "I can do a nice arrangement with them." She took some of them and went to a table to make the arrangement. "Since when are you a crime fighter dear?"  
  
"A while."  
  
"What do I call you? I told you that you can call me Pamela."  
  
"Huntress."  
  
"Huntress, well, well, it's an original name." Pamela began to prepare an arrangement. "You are very good."  
  
"Thanks." Huntress looked around curious about the plants.  
  
"I imagine that you are meta."  
  
"Did you know about metas?"  
  
"I have many friends that are meta," Pamela said cutting some parts of the flower. "In this business I meet so many interesting people. You remind me a feline friend."  
  
"Well, that would be an interesting coincidence." Huntress raised her elbows.  
  
"Your abilities are the most incredible I have ever seen."  
  
"Some people have great powers. I'm just fast and hit hard."  
  
"But I saw you fighting very well in the dark room." Pamela said.  
  
"A little advantage, I can see at night." Huntress smelled some flowers next her.  
  
".Like a cat." Pamela was trying to confirm her suspects, the kid had her body and atittudes.  
  
"Looks very nice" Huntress said changing the conversation "What are these?"  
  
"Are a Bletias purpureas."  
  
"Bleta what?"  
  
"Orchideas."  
  
"Ah. " Huntress raised her brows, she wasn't good with botany  
  
"How is your business? No problems with bad guys?"  
  
"No, you scared them; you fight very well. The friend that I knew was a cat, she called her self Catwoman." Pamela looked her eyes on her waiting her reaction as she gave her the flower arrangement.  
  
Helena moved her jaw and cooked her head "Well, it would be interesting meet her."  
  
"Yes. would be."  
  
They looked in silence a few seconds.  
  
"I need go." Huntress said "How much is it?"  
  
"Nothing, it's a pleasure, you helped me last night. Take it as a thank you present."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"This weekend my precious and rare plant arrives, maybe you would want see it. It's very expensive and unique."  
  
"Okay, yeah, maybe I could come back to see it."  
  
"I'll be waiting for you."  
  
"Okay, thanks." Huntress smiled and walked out the greenhouse.  
  
Pamela smirked; now she was sure; that smile, that way she moved. She couldn't be wrong.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Huntress walked out happy with the flowers in her hands. It was a very nice arrangement. She looked at it carefully and turned on her com to listen to her mentor's voice.  
  
::Helena where are you?::  
  
"I'm here, near New Gotham park. What happened?"  
  
::Problems, a robbery at the big liquor store::  
  
"On my way" Huntress jumped to the next building taking care to not break the flowers. She swept between the buildings and stood up in front of the street where the robbery was. She put the plant on the cornice of the rooftop and jumped down.  
  
She fell in behind both of the men and kneeled. Smiling she said, "Hi guys."  
  
She finished with the three guys in less than three minutes and jumped back up the building. She picked up the flower and fixed the ribbon. "It's done Oracle" she said distractely. She hoped Barbara would like the gift.  
  
::Well now we have more problems, in a supermarket five blocks from where you are now::  
  
"Okay" Huntress took her gift and ran between the buildings.  
  
::They are trying to escape Huntress, go to the alley that is to your left:: She heard Barbara's voice over her mic. She obeyed and jumped down into the next alley. She put the flower on a wood box for the moment as two guys ran towards her. She put her hands on her waist. "Time to have a little fun."  
  
"Out of my way!" one of the gusys shouted but Huntress stopped him with a blow on his nose.  
  
She jumped and kicked the other man. Immediately the man that she had hit in the nose charged against her. Huntress ducked twice and kicked him in his knees. The man fell down.  
  
"That hurt." She smiled.  
  
"Bitch." The man said as he stood up immediately. Huntress bent down and the man crossed over to her and smashed the wood box where the flower was. It moved and fell to the floor. She almost flew to catch it before crashed against the floor. She sighed with relief and stood up with it in her hands. Her eyes changed and she bent down in time to avoid a punch aimed her face. She turned and kicked him making him fall unconscious..  
  
::How is it going?:: Barbara asked.  
  
"Very well, but they almost ruined my night." She said looking to see if the plant had any damage.  
  
::Why?::  
  
"I'll tell you later. I'm a little busy now." She put the flower on a trash container and turned to block the fists of the second man that tried to hit her again.  
  
::Okay::  
  
She punched and kicked the man in his stomach and in the face. He smashed against the wall unconscious too. Helena smiled and went to take her plant again.  
  
"It's finished,call the police," she said.  
  
::Okay, Alfred is asking me what do you want for dinner?::  
  
"Pop tarts would be good."  
  
::Done.::  
  
* * *  
  
After a long night of patrolling, Helena come back home. Barbara was sat in front of the Delphi. She saw Helena walk in with the flowers in her hands. The kid stood up in front of her and put the small arrangement on her desk.  
  
"What is that?" Barbara asked.  
  
"It's a Bletia purpurea" Helena said fixing the ribbon of the flower on the desk again. "An orchid."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The owner of the garden told me that. Is not an orchid?"  
  
"Yes is an orchid. Very beautiful, did you buy it? It's strange, I didn't know that you liked flowers."  
  
"Hey, it's not for me. It's for you" Helena put her hands on her pockets.  
  
"For me? Thank you very much. They are beautiful." Barbara picked it up with her hands. She kept silent for a moment and looked at Helena with suspicion. "Why?"  
  
Helena wrung her hands nervously, "Well. I was thinking. that maybe. you could forgive me." She bit her low lip.  
  
"Forgive you?" Barbara felt touched.  
  
"I'm not perfect, I know that I create a lot of trouble for you. I hurt you and."  
  
"Oh Helena, I'm not mad at you."  
  
Helena lowered her head. "I thought you were still mad at me. "  
  
Barbara gave her a big smile. Those details of the girls were nice, and moved her, especially since she knew that Helena didn't like to show her feelings. "I was mad with you. Sometimes you are difficult."  
  
"I know, sorry for that."  
  
"You must accept that I was angry with you for a very good reason. But it was many days ago, now I'm not mad at you."  
  
"Well. You didn't tell me that you forgive me yet."  
  
"Okay, I forgive you. Does that make you feel better?"  
  
Helena smiled lightly and nodded. She turned her back and looked in her pockets. She took out some money and counted it. She turned again to see Barbara.  
  
"May I invite you to dinner?"  
  
"Dinner?" Barbara raised surprised one brow. "Alfred prepared pop tarts for you as you asked:"  
  
"Well... He will understand, we almost never go out. Christmas is close, maybe we can have some fun... What do you think?"  
  
"Well, I..."  
  
"You never want to go out, come on." Helena said looking her feet. "You are always in oracle mode..."  
  
"Oracle mode?" Brabara laughed.  
  
"Well, when you are working at Delphi's is almost impossible talk with you."  
  
Barbara knew that she was right, she didnt like to go out often and that maybe it would be a good idea. She smiled.  
  
"Come on, I'm paying."  
  
"You're paying?"  
  
"Yes, I can pay for it today." Helena said bitting her lip. "I did some small jobs after classes in the High School cafeteria and I earned a bit of money."  
  
"It's okay Miss Barbara, Miss Helena is right." Alfred interrupted them handing Barbara her coat and gloves. "You two never go out to have some fun. It would be good for you two and for me, I could go to bed early."  
  
"Okay" Barbara said taking the coat and wheeling to the elevator. Helena couldn't contain the big smile as she followed her. Helena felt the heavyness lift from her heart when she realized that Barbara had truly forgiven her. 


	11. A Ivy in our way

Barbara and Helena went to a seafood restaurant that was very popular in New Gotham. It was full of people, but was comfortable. They sat at a table far from the entrace. They had a good time talking about many things. Barbara realized that she didn't feel that Helena was under stress in the last days. They were eating a cake and Barbara thought was the perfect moment to talk with her.   
  
"Helena... Now do you think could tell me what was bothering you?"   
  
Helena bit her lip and lowered her head. "Is it necessary that we talk about that?"   
  
"You don't want to?"   
  
Helena shook her head.   
  
"Okay, I respect your choices, but, I would like you to know that I'm your friend."   
  
"You don't need tell me that. I know it. I'm sorry, sometimes I'm unfair to you." Helena muttered-   
  
"Hel, it's normal that we sometimes do or say things that later we can regret." Barbara opened up to her "I hope this would be a good lesson for you. Think before you speak. You can easily hurt other people."   
  
"I hurt you" Helena avoided Barbara's eyes,looking ashamed "Anything I said would be enough to apologize to you... I'm sorry, really, I never wanted do that."   
  
"Hel, it's okay, just think before act. Think about the consequences of your acts, what may be dangerous for you. I don't want to see you hurt, and talk to me anytime that you want."  
  
"Well, good night!" the front door of the restaurant opened and four men walked in the restaurant. "I see many people here, good time for contributions." One of them said and they began to walk between the tables.  
  
Barbara grabbed Helena's hand when she tried to stand up. "Wait. First watch, there are two men down stairs and two more up on this level. Two downstairs have guns. Remember always wait for the best moment to attack." Barbara took a piece of her cake and put it in her mouth. "Mmm, this is really good.!"  
  
"Okay, and when it will be the right time to attack?"  
  
"When you take out the guy on the left, downstairs with the gun. You need to move quickly. "  
  
"And the second one?" Helena asked.  
  
"You leave him to me." Barbara smiled.  
  
Helena nodded and put her coat. She bend down and moved faster down the tables to the men on the left side. Barbara watched her.  
  
"Good night ladies and gentlemen!" a female voice made her turned her face to the front door. She opened her mouth in amazement. Posion Ivy was there "We can do this faster with your help, I need your contributions to help to save this word. Everything is accepted, watchs, jewelery, money."  
  
Barbara looked over to Helena to stop her when one of the henchmen stood up in front of her. "Okay lady." He said pointing a bag in his hand "Your contribution here."  
  
Helena in that moment jumped over the man with the gun and kicked away his rifle.  
  
"Here?" Barbara took out her stick and hit the henchman harder on the face and on his crotch. She saw the second man with the gun pointing Huntress, she used one of the plates of the table as a batarang. She threw it to the henchmen and hit him on the hand making him drop the gun. The waiters help to inmobilize the other henchmen.  
  
Poison was surprised by the fast movement in front of her eyes. Huntress stood up in front of her.  
  
"What is she doing here? Watch out Huntress." Barbara said to her self knowing Poison was a very dangerous enemy.  
  
"Who ever you are, this is over" Huntress said.  
  
"Oh, the annoying girl." Poison smiled "It's over for you." Poison clapped her hands. The kid walked toward her. Suddenly she felt that something grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back. Barbara looked surprised that the plants around the restaurant were moving and had grabbed her and some of the waiters too. The people stood up and began to run to the exit screaming.  
  
Huntress was quickly inmobilized by the plants. She fought against them but it grabbed her arms too and pushed her against the floor heavily. "Damn!" she groaned.  
  
Poison walked toward Huntress who couldn't raise her head because the plants held her face down. She just could saw Poison's shoes.  
  
"Bad moment to be a hero, girl." Poison said.  
  
"Bitch, who are you?" Huntress grumbled trying to release herself.  
  
"That is the same question that I was going to ask you."  
  
Barbara looked around and took one of the serving metal platters, she threw it over at the glass plate of the fire alarm. The other one pushed the button and the sprinklers turned on and began to shower water all over the place. The alarms turned on too.  
  
"Shit! Cold water!" Poison mumbled. "Time to go Huntress, I'll be close to you. And the next time you wouldn't be so lucky." Poison ran to the exit.  
  
Barbara turned to look for Helena. She was struggling on the floor, trying to release the branchs of the plant that held her against the floor. One of the waiters took off a fire axe and bagan to cut the log.  
  
As soon as they cut the log of the plant that restrained Huntress, she stood up quickly. She was really annoyed "Damn plant!" she shouted kicking the large flowerpot. She ran to the exit but as soon as she was outside she felt cold. She was all soaked and outside was snowing. Immediately she re- entered the restaurant.  
  
"I hate cold water" Huntress walked over to Barbara while rubbing her arms. "Cat's always hate cold water." A waitress had gave to Barbara a blanket to cover her self and Barbara gave her another one that she had in her lap. "Brrr!" Huntress trembled, "Who is that woman?"   
  
"Poison Ivy, I don't know what is she doing here."  
  
"Poison Ivy?"  
  
"Why did she call you by your code name 'Huntress'? Where did you meet her?" barbara looked the brunette.  
  
"It's the frist time in my life that I have ever seen her." Huntress said. "Who is she?"  
  
"I'll explain it to you on the way to clock Tower. It's time to go. We need change out of these wet clothes."  
  
"She ruined our night!"  
  
"It always happens when you are a crime fighter, soon you will be accustomed to it." Barbara called one of the waiters to ask for the Hummer from the valet parking.  
  
* * *  
  
Poison Ivy walked in circles in her green house. Now she was completely sure that those young woman had a connection with Catwoman, her worst enemy. She needed to trap her to find out exactly how to find her. They ha (Finish this sentence Jag) * * * Next morning Helena opened her eyes, she was in her bedroom covered by many blankets and bedspreads. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. It was 12:30 PM, she would like stay in bed all day but she knew that was impossible. She stood up and went to take a bath.  
  
Barbara was sitting in front of Delphi's wearing pants and a white sweater. Helena walked in with a red one.  
  
"Hey, Good afternoon young lady, for a moment I thought that you were going to hibernate all day" Barbara smiled.  
  
Helena sat next to her mentor. "Oh, we went to sleep late last night. Did you find something?"  
  
"Yes" Barbara opened some screen windows "Poison is a woman that lives a life consumed by an obsession with eco-terrorism. She makes up for her inability to be a mother by playing the role of guardian and protector to the things she loves most in the world...plants. She is cold and unfeeling, however, to the suffering of mankind."  
  
"She had dedicated her life to protecting the natural world that has no way of protecting itself from money-grubbing businessmen."  
  
"A woman obsessed with plants? Did you fight with her?"  
  
"Some times, but most your father."  
  
"Call him just Batman, okay?" Helena grumbled.  
  
Barbara raised her brow "Okay, Poison Ivy, as her name implies, has a great love and unmatched appreciation for flora. With her vast knowledge of dangerous plant-derived chemicals and plant mutation, as well as her ravishing beauty and seductive feminine wiles, she victimizes wealthy men who are involved in the destruction of the plantlife in her city and around the world. It is her passion and her maternal instinct for nature that drives her to commit remorseless acts of eco-terrorism."  
  
"What she was doing in that restaurant?"  
  
"She was searching for funds because she is planning something. Her only friend is the Joker's number-one henchgal, Harley Quinn. Together, they often reek havoc throughout the streets of New Gotham."  
  
"Harleen Queen?" Huntress leaned next the computer.  
  
"Another criminal, the girl friend of the Joker." Barbara sighed remembering the Joker. "I dont know what she is doing in New Gotham. But she had planned to attack that restaurant. The manager told me that those plants had been a gift from an anonymous client last week. And it was a very strange plant, not common in America."  
  
"I have a friend that works in a green house, maybe she could help us."  
  
"Yeah, I think it will be a good idea if I bring some samples of the plant, you could take one to her."  
  
"Okay I'll go later." Helena yawned again.  
  
"No, you need let it go for now." Barbara said to her.  
  
"Why?" Helena looked at her.  
  
"Don't you remember what day it is today? Christmas Eve, the 24th of December. You promised prepare the beef."  
  
"Oh God!" Helena slapped her forehead "I forgot that I need go out to buy the beef."  
  
"Alfred figuredt that you would forget it, so he will let you in the kitchen, all the ingrdients are ready to cook." Barbara smiled moving her head. "He will be gone for two days to be with his family that came from Englad to be with him."  
  
"I'm glad for him."  
  
"Me too, now hurry up, you don't have a lot of time." 


	12. Merry Christmas

Christmas night. Comissioner Gordon's house. Barbara and Helena went to dinner with him, they were talking before having dinner in the living room. Barbara and her father talked and laughed about some anecdotes. Jim Gordon wasn't to agreeable with the idea of Barbara being the mentor of Helena. And especially after Barbara told him that she was the daughter of Selina Kyle. She couldn't tell him that she was Batman's daughter too.  
  
But Gordon had seen that the kid had gave Barbara aonther reason to keep going. The feeling that some one needed her had helped Barbara to trust more in her self, and to feel more secure in her actions. He knew about her school problems and rebelliouness attitudes, but Barbara seemed know how to control her. He had the opportunity to talk with Helena sometimes and she always was quiet and reserved. She tried to make a good impression, maybe because she felt inside that she didn't like him too much. But after all, Gordon must accept that Helena was good company for her daughter, and she had helped her a lot.  
  
Helena was standing up staring out the window next to the Christmas tree watching the snow fall. She was lost in her thoughts remembering her last Christmas season. The Gordon's had given her a home, she felt grateful for that. The last weeks she had feel sad, she missed her mother so much. And she knew that she would never will come back. The last little while she had drifted apart from Barbara. She knew that she couldn't use Barbara as a way to take out her anger. She wasn't guilty, she was just trying to help her, she had offered her a home. It didn't matter that she was living through the worst moment in her life.  
  
Gordon looked at Helena distractedly drinking a scotch "How is she?"  
  
"Bettter, she is finding her self again." Barbara smiled.  
  
"Has it been difficult?"  
  
"Yes, for both of us." Barbara moved her drink "There have been difficult times for both of us, but we survived, and that's all that's important."  
  
"I never thought you could do it."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"It was too much for you. But I can see you are more incredible then even I ever imagined."  
  
"Oh dad." she blushed.  
  
"And I'm so proud of you." He touched her hand and gave her a kiss on her cheek.  
  
"Me too." She hugged him.  
  
Helena saw in the reflection of the window,the image of Barbara and his father hugging. She lowered her head sighing.  
  
* * *  
  
Selina was sleeping deeply in her bed. She felt warm down under the blankets. She woke up abruptly when she felt a heavy shape that fell on top of her.  
  
"Oufff!"  
  
"Santa was here mom!" Helena shouted almost in her ear.  
  
"God Helena! Why you aren't like other girls sweet and gentle?" Selina hated when her girl did those things. "You are too heavy to be just nine years old."  
  
"Come on," she pushed her buy the arm "There is a present for you too!"  
  
Selina hesitated looking for her watch and then looked at it. "Helena, it's six o'clock in the morning."  
  
"Yes, it's late, come on!"  
  
"May I see it later?"  
  
"No, open your gift!!" Helena jumped easily to the door.  
  
"For me?" Selina sat on the bed sleepy.  
  
"Yes, come on." Helena shouted on the corridor.  
  
Selina gave in to her daughter, she stood up and put her slippers. She walked yawning down stairs. In front of the Cristmas tree was a box with terrible wrapping. Helena was seated next to it, opening her present, a bicycle.  
  
Selina smiled. "It's from you?" she kneeled in front of the box.  
  
"Yes. Santa don't bring gifts to old people and I didn't want you to not have a gift on this day." Helena looked exited about her bike.  
  
"Old people?" Selina faked being annoyed.  
  
"Open it!" Helena rushed her as she came up behind her.  
  
Selina opened the box and saw a pendant with a golden cat.  
  
"Do you like it?" Helena asked hugging her by the neck.  
  
"It's lovely!" Selina gave her a kiss in her cheek. "Ohhh, thanks so much sweetie!"  
  
"I'm glad you like it!."  
  
"How do you get it?" Selina examined it and it wasn't junk.  
  
"I gave all my money to Barbara and she went to buy it for me."  
  
"All your money?"  
  
"You give me three dollars by week, I kept it and I called her by phone. The last month that Barbara was here she gave me the cat and I gave her the money." Helena was still hugging her by the neck.  
  
"Interesting dear... and... how much money did you give to Barbara?" Selina knew something was wrong.  
  
"Nine dollars, too much money."  
  
Selina smiled. "Nine dollars? And she brought a cat pendant of gold?"  
  
"Yes, and she gave me seventy five cents change. She made a very good deal."  
  
* * *  
  
Helena smiled to her self, that pendant cost so much more that eight dollars and twenty five cents.  
  
"Come on Helena, dinner is ready" Barbara called her taking her off her thoughts.  
  
Helena walked toward the living room and sat smiling looking at the meal on the table. "Barbara, thanks for the pendant." She said puting the napkin over her thighs.  
  
"Pendant?"  
  
"I never said thank you for buying that expensive cat pendant that I gave my mom many years ago, with only nine dollars."  
  
"Well, it was eight dollars and twenty five cents." Barbara put her elbows over the table, "and it was a pleasure."  
  
"I owe you that money still."  
  
"No, your smile when you saw it was my best reward. No amount of money could pay for it when Selina told me how surprised she was and how happy you were."  
  
"She was very happy that day," Helena smiled with sadness "Thanks for helping me to make her happy."  
  
"My help wasn't necesary, you make her happy all on your own." Barbara took her hand.  
  
"Hey, nobody should feel sad." Comissioner Gordon said taking a knife and looking the beef. He felt touched by the two women. "This looks good."  
  
"Helena prepared the beef." Barbara smiled "Be careful dad."  
  
"Oh, that sounds dangerous." He joked cutting the beef.  
  
"Hey, it's very good!" Helena protested "I practiced this meal almost a month."  
  
"Yes, that's true." Barbara took a bit of wine, "Alfred was her teacher. They burned almost ten roasts while she was learning."  
  
"Only eight." Helena grumbled.  
  
"But it tastes good." Gordon put a piece of beef in his mouth.  
  
Barbara looked at him suspiciously.  
  
"It's true," Gordon smiled "Taste it."  
  
"I told you Barbara." Helena took a piece of turkey. "At least I didn't buy the dinner... like you."  
  
"Well, the potatoes were just a little bured and you didn't like it." Barbara explained.  
  
"Burned? Are black!" Helena laughed.  
  
"Hey, your beef is really good." Barbara was surprised.  
  
"I told you." Gordon smiled.  
  
"Did you cheat?" Barbara raised her brow.  
  
"Of course not." Helena said proud "And remember Alfred went to dinner with his family that came from England to see him."  
  
"Okay I suggest a toast" Gordon raised his cup.  
  
"Well for who?" Barbara raised her cup too and looked Helena "Want do it?".  
  
Helena raised her cup and looked at both, "To you two, for your time, for your patience. Thanks so much for giving me a space in your home, giving me a family again. And to my mom, my mom isn't here but she is always in my heart."  
  
"To you, a marvelous kid, and for your mother Selina" Barbara said. "A great friend and an excellent mother."  
  
They crashed the cups and laughed.  
  
"Give me a bit of everything except the potatoes that Barbara made." Helena raised her plate.  
  
"Hey!" Barbara gave her a nudge.  
  
That was an excellent night for all. 


	13. Ivy hug

Helena and Barbara went to a Department Store the next afternoon, they decided to eat out rather than go home. Later they walked down the street looking for the Hummer. Helena saw a coffee shop that was open.   
  
"What do you think?" she asked looking inside.   
  
"A marvelous idea." Barbara said. "A black one, while I'll look theaters in the next store."   
  
"Okay, I be right back." Helena walked in the Coffee Shop rubbing her hands.   
  
Barbara looked her watch. They were yet on time. She turned her wheelchair to go to the store but a big man stopped in front of her blocked her way. "Oh sorry" she said looking him up. She tried to move back but the man held the arm chair.  
  
"Your money lady, fast and in silence." He grinned.   
  
Helena looked all the kind of coffees and puckered her row *Why is too difficult choose just a simple coffee? Espresso, dark, cappuccino, gourmet, regular, Dark Regular Ground, classic* she thought to her self. The waitress in the bar looked her. "let me guess" the woman said "Just two coffees" Helena nodded and the woman smiled. "Okay, four dollars please."   
  
Helena took the coffees and walked out the coffee store, she looked Barbara who was cleaning the sleeves of her coat and a man unconscious down her feet. The kid raised her elbow.   
  
"What," the red head asked. "he fell alone."  
  
"Sure, you just pushed him with a stick over his head; and later it's me the one that always is in troubles." Helena gave her the coffee.   
  
"Well, he tried to steal my Purse." Barbara sip her coffee "hey, it's good."   
  
"See how the problems follow us alone? And later you said it's me." Helena began to walk again by the sidewalk. "Yes, that's true, but it's true too that you have a special charming to be in troubles alone without help." Barbara followed her.  
  
"It's part of my charming."   
  
"Yeah, your charming." Barbara joked while both continued looking the store windows.  
  
* * *  
  
Huntress went to the green house the next day. It was almost four PM. She knocked at the door but the place seemed to be empty. She walked in and looked around.   
  
"Hey, Good afternoon, is someone here?" Huntress asked in loud voice. She had in her hands some parts of the plant from the restaurant. "Pamela?" She went to the bottom of the building where she saw a stairway. "Pamela, It's Huntress, are you there?"   
  
"I'm here..." she heard Pamela's voice upstairs.   
  
Huntress followed the voice and went to the second level of the green house. It was full of plants too. She could barely walk along the corridor in the midle of the room. Pamela was sitting in a chair in front of a table where there were many big yellow plants.   
  
"Hi Huntress, nice to see you." Pamela greeted her.   
  
"Happy holidays?"   
  
"Yes, very happy, and yours?" "I had a very good time. I come here you to ask you for help." Huntress gave her the rest of the plants that Barbara had picked up from the restaurant.   
  
"Well, well, what is this?" Pamela took the plants.   
  
"I found it in a restaurant that was assaulted two nights ago." Huntress explained "The plants moved as if they were alive."   
  
"The plants have life dear."   
  
"Yes, but a normal plant doesn't hold a person. What plant is that?"   
  
Pamela examined the leafs. "Its a very strange one. I thought you came here to see my new plants, the strange flowers that I told you would arrive this week."   
  
"Well, I could keep an eye on it." Huntress looked a cabinet and some yellow jars inside and cocked her head. "What is that?"   
  
"An universal antidote"   
  
"Antidote?"   
  
"Yes I manage many poison plants and other ones that could knock out a horse. So I made a universal antidote. For emergencies, you know?" Pamela smirked, Huntress walked around the place looking at the plants and headed towards the one she wanted.   
  
"You have many plants." The brunette said.   
  
"Yes. My favorite is that one that is to your right"   
  
Huntress turned her head to see the big yellow flowers that were on the table, they quivered slightly and made a short, sharp hissing sound as it shot at her a white powder. Huntress was blinded and she coughed as stepped back.   
  
"Sorry kid" Poison crossed her arms smiling. "But you and I have so much to talk about."   
  
"What was that?" Huntress coughed. Before she could react some vines moved under her feet surrounded her.   
  
"My dear girl, I was waiting for this moment to talk to you about business. That was a drug that in a few minutes will attack your nervous system."   
  
Still coughing, Huntress rubbed her eyes and pulled at the vines around her legs. She felt the thickening green vines curl around her her. Another vine encased her left wrist and her forearm quickly.   
  
"I saw you fight, what was Catwoman to you?" Poison glared to her.   
  
Huntress pulled harder and broke the vines that held her arms broke immediately. She jumped back and rolled on the ground. Huntress saw a light in the darkness and tried to run toward her but a branch stopped her in her race making her fall to the floor.   
  
Posion laughed. "Oh Huntress, do you think you could escape from Poison Ivy and her plants?"   
  
Huntress opened her eyes but she was blind, her vision was blurred. She stood up trying to figure out what to do next. She could hear the footsteps of Poison Ivy.   
  
"Well well, Huntress blind." Poison stood up in front of her, "Don't worry, it's just temporary. It's part of the effect of my drug. Now please come with me, we need to talk."   
  
A kick in her face was the answer. Huntress guided her movements by sound. But that wasn't enough, she suddenly felt a punch in the face that took her by surprise. She stumbled back.   
  
"If you want it this way, okay. Now talk, where is Catwoman?" Poison hit her in her stomach. Huntress tried to hit her unsucessfully. Poison laughed, "Poor old Huntress blind and helpless. Unable to defend herself."   
  
Huntress tried to punch Poison but she avoided the blow and kicked her in the stomach making her fall on her knees.   
  
"You fight, you move like her. You must know her." Poison said.   
  
"Who are you?" Huntress asked tryng to recover the air and putting a hand on the floor. She felt her mind dazed.   
  
"The master of plants." Poison smiled looking at the girl blind in the middle of her greenhouse. "Where is Catwoman?"   
  
"I don't know..."   
  
"Don't lie to me! You move like her, fight like her. You are as her!" Posion shouted. "Who are you?"   
  
"Huntress." The blurred sensation of her mind was filling the senses of the brunette.   
  
"Girl, I think that you are in the wrong side." Posion smirked circling Huntress. "You will be a great partner, I want to propose a deal to you."   
  
Huntress stood up slowly "A deal?"   
  
"Yes. We can do an excellent work in the underworld." Poison walked toward her. "You can earn a lot of money easily and fast! Join with me the easy way."   
  
Huntress moved towards the direction of Pamela's voice, but the older woman grabbed her fists and punched her. The kid hit a table with such force that she broke many flowerpots. Poison walked up to Huntress with a grin on her face. Before she could stand up, Poison violently kicked her across the face and she fell to the floor again.   
  
Huntress struggled to get to her hands and knees. Pamela walked up to her side and grabbed her shirt. With all her strength she picked her off the ground and threw her across the room. The brunette flew over the plants and slammed into a wall with her back. She grunted.   
  
"I know who you are. Better you shouldn't under estimate me, or my pets. After all, I haven't under estimated you. You are my connection to find her. And you will help me in my work." 


	14. Trying to escape

Huntress was on the floor and two vines entwined around her abdomen. She tried to break it with her hands but a new vine held her left arm, and another held her legs. Huntress moved like a wild animal and as she broke one vine, the one that held one of her legs, another vine curled around her neck pushing her back against the floor. She grumbled and tried to stand unsuccessfully. She was overwhelmed when too many vines encased her arms and legs.  
  
"God girl, you surprise me. You have incredible strength," Poison circled her "amazing and dangerous."  
  
Huntress was choked by the plant around her neck but was still pulling at the vines that bound her.  
  
"I'm your executioner. Better not move or my pets well press you harder, and that is not comfortable. The drug will be much easier."  
  
"You are insane" Huntress arched her back trying to release herself. Every muscle was tensed and tight as she fought to be free. The vine's pressure had her encased and she groaned. She found her mind beginning to get hazy. Her head moved around groggily, searching for clues to her situation but finding none.  
  
"I can control and manipulate biochemical makeup." Poison said "I can produce plant toxins. If these toxins come into contact with the skin of someone, the results are deadly."  
  
Huntress continued struggling with her bonds, but it was even more futile than before. Not only could she not break the vines encircling her, she couldn't even bend them now. She was held almost completely immobile.  
  
Poison Ivy smiled appreciatively as Huntress wiggled helplessly. "You are presenting substantial resistance, but you will be gradually worn down by fatigue. You will surrender to me."  
  
"What do you want?" the brunette groaned.  
  
"Maybe I need to tell you a story. A few years ago," Poison leaned over her and later walked toward a window, "I tried to turn earthquake-ravaged Gotham City into a jungle of my own design, but my plans were thwarted by Catwoman. Did you know her?"  
  
Helena opened her eyes when she heard her mother's nick name. She was still blinded. She moved her head searching for where the voice was coming from.  
  
Poison laughed, "Ah, I see that you remember her. I always tried to take revenge. That bitch screwed up everything. Now tell me, how you know her? What is your connection with her?"  
  
Huntress' eyes were glassy, she tried to struggle against the drug.  
  
"Come on dear, you want to tell me. You have many of her abilities, did she teach it to you?" Poison said.  
  
"Yes." Huntress remembered that when she was a child her mother taught her some moves for personal defense.  
  
"Good dear, you are doing this correct, where is she?"  
  
".she is dead." The kid mumbled.  
  
"Dead? Catwoman is dead? Don't lie to me!" Poison groaned slapping her. "So I guess she was training you, she must be hiding out now some place. And you are protecting her, but why are you fighting on the good side?" Poison leaned over Huntress. "What are you hiding from me? Come on dear, let the drug work on you."  
  
Huntress didn't respond her eyes closed. Poison took her chin between her hands and forced her to see her. "Why are you a crime fighter and not a burglar? I think that you are doing the things wrong."  
  
"I." Huntress moved trying to release herself unsuccesfully.  
  
"Listen to me girl, listen my voice; you are going to work for me, to help me to recover the control of New Gotham." Poison caressed her hair "That flower shot you a drug that was absorbed into your bloodstream and reaches the brain. This drug would keep you in a mental state halfway between consciousness and unconsciousness while I weaken your mind defences and I break your own free will. You are going to obey me."  
  
"Yes... No."  
  
"That's not your decision dear, now I have the control. You are mine. I have some business to do. I'll back later, when I get back I'm sure my drug will have weakened you enough to talk about business. My dear plants, look after her." Poison laughed and she exited the room.  
  
Huntress in her struggle was vaguely aware of her surroundings, she moved her head feeling a floating sensation. The drug was overwelming her.  
  
* * *  
  
Afternoon Helena, Alfred." Barbara said entering in Clock Tower, she had been at the shoopping center.  
  
"Afternoon Miss Barbara." Alfred answered from the second floor "How was your day?"  
  
"Too much traffic, I thought Christmas shopping was over but it seems not. Where is Helena Alfred?" Barbara asked wheeling inside the lab.  
  
"I don't know Miss Barbara, after the lunch she went out and told me she will back soon. But it was almost 3 hours ago."  
  
"It's freezing outside" Barbara turned on the computer and looked at the screen. "Well, she has the comset off. But it's strange" she looked her watch "I talked with her this morning and she told me that she was just going to take the plant sample with her to see her friend and then come to back to train a few..."  
  
Barbara wheeled toward Delphi's and began to work. A hour later Barbara watched her clock again, she turned on the mic and called Huntress with out answer. Barbara bit her lips and kept silence a minute. Her mind worked faster. She looked Alfred who was upstairs. "Did Helena tell you where the store of her friend was located?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Could you please bring me the flowers that she gave me the other day? There are in my room. She is not very friendly lately. Maybe it has something to do with that friend who gave her those flowers."  
  
Barbara took off her gloves and rubbed her nose. Alfred walked in a few minutes later and put the flower pot beside her. Barbara looked at the pot and saw a label in the bottom that had the address of the store and the name of it: "Ivy's"  
  
"I don't like this Alfred." She mumbled.  
  
"What happened Miss Barbara?"  
  
"The day of the assault, Poison called her by her name... Huntress. Huntress told me that she had never seen her... but she told me too that she had to meet her friend. She had helped her to prevent a robbery in her greenhouse. And she told that friend that her name is Huntress."  
  
"Do you think she is Poison?" Alfred asked.  
  
"I dunno, but I better find out just to be sure." Barbara wheeled toward the lab. "I'll go to that greenhouse and if it is Poison Ivy then she will be in trouble."  
  
"Are you going to go alone?"  
  
"I have been working on a new invention and I think that it works properly now."  
  
Barbara put the transponder on her waist. It still hurt her spine but she didn't care about that. She was worried about Helena, Poison was a very serious enemy and she could kill easily with out thinking.  
  
"Miss Barbara are you sure about wearing the transponder? Isn't it finished yet?" Alfred said.  
  
"We don't have any other choice Alfred. If Poison has her... " Barbara said concerned. "Wish me a good luck."  
  
"Good luck."  
  
* * *  
  
Poison returned to the second level of the greenhouse a few hours later. Huntress was almost unconscious, all soaked in her own own sweat and still wrapped in the vines. She was making a great effort to resist the powerful drug. It made her feel warm all over, very warm. Her lips were dry. Poison circled her. Huntress heard her steps and opened her eyes slowly. She could see now but her mind was foggy.  
  
Poison smiled evilly "How do you feel dear?"  
  
"Water." Huntress whispered.  
  
"Later, we first need talk about bussiness. You now must obey me."  
  
".I." Huntress arched her back but the vines held pressed her again.  
  
"You can't refuse me, you must obey me." Poison glared to her.  
  
"Let me go."  
  
Poison was surprised, she suppposed that the drug must be working, but that Huntress was resisting it. She took a bottle of water from a table. She knew the effects of her poison and stood up again in front of her. "Look Huntress. did you want it? Did you want water?" she  
  
opened the bottle of water. "I'll give it to you if you tell me who your master is."  
  
"Poison..." She mumbled.  
  
"Am I your master?" Poison leaned over her.  
  
"I. don't have." she moved trying to release but the plants pressed her tight. She groaned.  
  
"Huntress, you couldn't fight against the drug. want water?."  
  
"No."  
  
"I'm your friend Huntress, I can help you, but you must trust me." Posion brushed her hair. "Open your mind to me. I'm your friend, open to me, you can't resist my voice."  
  
Huntress moved her dry lips.  
  
"Trust me girl. I'm your friend."  
  
". I can't"  
  
"You can stop fighting dear. Where is Catwoman?" Poison slapped her. She grabbed her hair and pushed her head back, "Girl, I'm your master. How could you resist my drug?" Poison was pissed, she snapped her fingers and the ends of the two tendrils changed and blossomed into  
  
small, bright red flowers with quivering stamens in their centre. It moved near Huntress' face. The flowers lowered over her and shot a green powder. Huntress shook her head and coughed again.  
  
"Poor Huntress; you are too young to die in painful agony. I'm giving you another opportunity. How much time do you think you have? I need the free way for my next step, and you are not going to interfer. I asked you join me and you are going to do it in a good or in a bad way."  
  
Huntress struggled but was unsucesfully again.  
  
"Every minute the drug will block more of your nervous system and not let you be able to control your body and your mind. If you resist it, it will begin to affect your biological functions such as temperature, vision, talking, maybe even breathing. Better do it the easy way. You will help me with the next step of my plan. Sow this city with my plants seeds." Poison laughed and walked to the exit "I need to go, I hope that when I come back you will be better disposed to work with me."  
  
* * * 


	15. A bat in the night

Helena opened her eyes after a few minutes, she looked around, she still felt dazed and she knew didn't have much time. She closed her eyes and relaxed her muscles. The vines after a few seconds began to ease away from her slowly. She suddenly moved her arm and took a knife off of the table next to her. The plant held but she moved faster and began to cut the branches of the vines. She fell to the floor and another vine grabbed her ankle. She jumped and buried the knife into the log of the vine. She killed the plant and fell backwards, tired.  
  
She looked for the table and and dragged herself toward it. Her vision was blurred, she saw many bottles there. Poison had told her that the yellow one was the universal antidote, she looked for it.   
  
She threw many objects to the floor looking for the antidote. She finally found the bottle and looked for a syringe. She found one and she sat on the floor opening the syringe pack. She was shivering and felt was burning up inside. She slowly filled the syringe with the liquid from the bottle. She couldn't coordinate her movements. She finished filling the syringe and tried to inject her thigh. But the syringe fell from her fingers between her legs. *Damn!* she thought.  
  
With a great effort, she found the syringe and buried it in her thigh. She moved clumsily and her foot kicked the small bottle. It rolled and fell downstairs breaking on one of the steps.  
  
* * *  
  
Oracle was dressed as Batgil, she walked in the Green House. The place and the plants gave her an idea about who had been with Huntress. Poison Ivy. She listened to a noise of a glass breaking at the end of the greenhouse, in the stairway. She tried to run but the transponder annoyed her back. She walked and looked up. She stepped up carefully. When she was up. She saw the brunete lying on the floor.   
  
"Huntress?" she shouted. The girl heard her and tried to focus on her and talk but she couldn't see well, all was blurred, and she felt clumsy. She blinked, she saw in front of her the shadow of the mask of Batman and moved her body back. Oracle tried to touch her but Huntress hit her in the face and dragged herself away trying to escape. Oracle crashed against the table. She stood up and went to the kid again. "Huntress, it's me!"   
  
Huntress turned faster and tried to kick her, Oracle stepped back to avoid it. Her voice sounded distorted in Huntress earings and she couldn't recognize her. She could barely stand up and raised her hands in defensive position. Oracle realized that she was drugged and that she couldn't see. "Huntress, listen to me, I'm Oracle."   
  
"Go away, you can't fool me..." Huntress attacked her but Oracle moved faster and threw her against the floor. She twisted her arm behind the brunette's back to avoid Huntress swinging at her again. She struggled, trying to break free.   
  
"Easy, easy Huntress, it's me, Barbara!" Oracle shouted fighting to kept her down, "Helena it's me!"   
  
When she heard her name, Huntress stopped fighting. She recognized her mentor's voice.   
  
"Yes, it's me..." Oracle slowly released her and turned her gently. She looked at the empty syringe still buried in her leg, and took it out. "What is this?"   
  
Huntress moved her lips but couldn't from a word, her tongue was hindering her. "An, an...ti.."   
  
"An antidote?" Batgirl asked worried, the kid nodded. "You were poisoned?" Huntress nodded again. Batgirl took her face between her hands. "God, you are burning up!" She looked around and saw an ice machine that was used to keep some plants. She went over to it.   
  
"I need to lower your temperature." Batgirl put some bags of ice around the girl. The transponder was flawed. Every movement hurt, it became difficult to walk and the pain in her back was growing. Huntress felt great relief feeling the coolness of ice around her. Batgirl covered her with the bags and sat next to her to wait while she recovered and to rest from the pressure on her spine.   
  
"Water." Huntress asked her with soft voice. How Barbara could walk was a good question, but she could ask about that later. Her mentor took a piece of ice and wet her dry lips.   
  
"It was Poison, right?" The kid nodded. Batgirl took off a small object with a needle. "I need to check if that antidote is really working, okay?" She buried the needle and took a small sample of blood.  
  
Batgirl had brought many instruments with her in her belt that she knew wouldl be useful. She pressed a button and numbers and letters and letters appeared on the screen. Huntress began to focus again and examined her costume. It was strange seeing Barbara dressed as a big bat.   
  
"Good, It's working, and very fast." Batgirl rechecked the result on her small device. Huntress sighed with relief. The redhead looked at the plant that was cut in pieces. It was all over the floor and the knife was still buried in the log. She understood that Huntress alone had released her self and injected the antidote to the poison.   
  
"You did very well." Barbara moved her hair. Batgirl noticed that the kid was looking her costume. "It's my old work costume." She explained. "Haven't you ever seen it before?"   
  
Huntress shook her head. "Is it your real costume?" she whispered.   
  
"Yes it is."   
  
"Don't you have... trouble with your... make up?"   
  
"I never thought about make up when I went to patrol the city."   
  
"Well... that was because the mask covered your face, but I need to look good."   
  
Barbara put a pen-like device in her ear. She pressed a button and looked at it. "Your temperature is lowering."   
  
"How... can you walk?" Huntresss began to feel that she was slowlyrecovering her senses.  
  
"We can talk about that later. Where is Poison Ivy?"  
  
"I don't know... she just left me here and split." Helena sat on the floor.  
  
"I have my car two blocks from here. When you can stand up, I'll take you to the car. I need you to help me to get you there, okay?"  
  
"Batgirl? What are you doing you stupid bitch?" Batgirl raised her head and saw Poison Ivy in the front door.  
  
"Don't move, stay here." Batgirl whispered to Huntress and stood up with a great effort to face Poison Ivy. "That's the same question that I was going to ask you."  
  
"What are you doing with her? Do you know her?" Posion walked toward her.  
  
"That's not your problem. What are you doing in New Gotham?" They began to circle each other.  
  
"Recovering my kingdom!" Poison shouted. "Plants, get her!"  
  
Some vines tried to ensnare her but she moved back. She took out a spray and shot it on the plants and they moved back immediately. She took out another small object that threw a length of fire and the plants start to burn.  
  
"Bitch! What are you doing?" Posion Ivy shouted.  
  
"Special insecticide, gasoline." Batgirl smiled. "I think that you need to go back to prision again."  
  
"Try it." Poison charged against Batgirl. Huntress moved her head slowly to where she heard the voices.  
  
The place began to catch on fire. Batgirl duck out her escrima sticks. Poison tried to hit Batgirl but she was agile and kicked her making her fall again. Batgirl bent down feeling a sharp of pain in her back. Poison punched her making her step back.  
  
"Huntress get out of here!" Batgirl shouted as she saw the intensity of the fire increasing. A new sharp of pain make her put a hand on the floor to avoid falling. She bit her lip and moved her hand to her waist. The transponder wasn't working well and it was hurting her. But she didn't have time to worry about that now, Poison charged against her and both crashed against the window and fell to the lower floor.  
  
Huntress saw the fire increasing and shed the ice bags, she stood up slowly and staggered toward the stairway  
  
Poison took a piece of wood to hit Batgirl on her head, but the redhead blocked the blow with her arm and kicked her in the stomach. Batgirl groaned and arched her back, the transponder was causing a lot of pain. Poison charged against her, both rolled on the floor. The fire was running quickly throughout the building. 


	16. Face to face

"What are you doing here? Did Huntress call you?" Poison clenched her teeth, she was standing over Batgirl.  
  
"No, I was looking for you." Batgirl said hitting her in the face. She kicked her and punched her in her face. Suddenly she felt a lot of pressure on her spine and groaned arching her back. Poison took the opportunity and hit her twice. Batgirl fell to the floor.  
  
Poison jumped on her back and put her hands over her neck. Batgirl felt she was drowning and moved her arm looking for the piece of wood next to her. She took it in her hand and hit Poison with it on her head. Poison fell back.  
  
Batgirl stood up and hit her in the face twice. Poison stepped back, she looked around at her lovely green house as it was burning down.  
  
"Good bye Batbitch" she groaned running to the exit. "I'll see you later!"  
  
Batgirl was going to follow her but it was impossible, the transponder was hurting her spine too much. She kneeled, bitting her lips she moved her hands to the transponder; she took it off with a big effort; she sighed with relief and began to coughed; the smoke was covering the place.  
  
She began to drag to the next door when she felt a hand on her back and she whirled around throwing a punch. A hand grabbed her fist.  
  
"It's me" Huntress looking at the strange belt with the box that she had in her hand. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I can't walk." Barbara mumbled.  
  
"What happened to you?" Helena kneeled to help her when she felt a vine wrap itself around her ankle. "Not now!" she yelled as it jerked her backwards.  
  
Huntress struggled as the vine attempted to drag her deeper into the burning greenhouse. She tried to grab onto anything that would stop her. Batgirl tried to follow but collasped as another wave of pain overtook her.  
  
Huntress snagged a piece of burning wood and shoved it against the vine. It released her ankle as it recoiled in pain. As she scrambled back to Batgirl, she heard a shot. A long thorn impaled itself on floor next to her hand. Looking behind her, she realized a big rose plant was using its thorns as a weapon to stop her. She ducked and rolled to avoid another volley as the building started to make an ominous sound.  
  
"I don't have time for this." Huntress ran and rolled over to Barbara. She picked her up and ran to the exit. The plant continued throwing its big long thorns after her. The greenhouse began to shake as the fire burned through the supports. Putting on a burst of speed, Huntress jumped out of the building moments before it collasped in on its self.  
  
Huntress and Barbara tumbled to the sidewalk.  
  
"Did she hurt you?"  
  
"No, it's the transponder".  
  
"What is that?"  
  
"A new invention... it's painful, it hurts my spine." Batgirl clenched her teeth, the pain was killing her.  
  
"That thing made you walk?" Huntress looked at her concerned.  
  
"Yes... but it hurts... Ahhh!." Barbara arched her back again. "Take me to Clock Tower... call Alfred.."  
  
"Okay" Huntress nodded turning on her comm and picking her up into her arms once again, ran to the Clock Tower.  
  
* * *  
  
By the time Helena arrived at the Clock tower, Barbara had passed out. She stood impatiently as the elevator took its grand old time moving to the upper floor. She never had seen Barbara in that costume and she wondered how she could move in that uncomfortable thing. When the door opened she ran to the infirmary and put her on the table. Alfred was there waiting for them.  
  
"She fainted Alfred" Helena said concerned.  
  
"Help me to take off her mask and cape." Alfred examined the red head and used smelling salts. Barbara recoverd her senses slowly and groaned almost immediately.  
  
"Where does it hurt?" Alfred asked.  
  
"My spine hurts like hell" She moaned.  
  
"Was it that machine?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
Helena put the belt with the transponder on the table. Alfred turned Barbara gently over on to her stomach.  
  
"Have you used it with out testing it?" He asked.  
  
"I have tested it... but it is still not working very well. Everytime I try using it something doesn't work....Ow!  
  
"Miss Barbara that was crazy to use it when it still hasn't been properly tested." Alfred seemed to be annoyed. Helena just looked at both of them.  
  
"In my desk... a blue folder..."  
  
"What happened Alfred?" Helena asked.  
  
"I need to check her notes to find out which parts of her back that machine hurts to have an idea of what to do. She always makes notes of all her experiments." Alfred noticed Helena was sweating. "Are you okay Miss Helena?"  
  
"Yes. How can I help you?" she said looking very worried about Barbara.  
  
"Bring me that folder." Alfred said.  
  
Helena ran to Barbara's desk and gave him the file. He examined it carefully. Helena took Barbara hand and squeezed it gently.  
  
"Well, it looks as if the transponder causing pain by pressing the vertabrae in spine. I can give her a sedative and some medicine to lower the inflammation in her back that is causing the pain."  
  
Alfred took a syringe and prepared it. Helena looked on as Alfred adminstered the shot and pain killers to Barbara. She wipped the sweat off her forehead with her sleeve. She looked at the clock. After a long fifteen minutes, Alfred finished his work. Barbara slept deeply.  
  
"Now we just sit back and wait." He looked at the cardiac monitor.  
  
Helena took her mentors hand. "Is she going to be okay?"  
  
"We'll know in a little while." Alfred looked into the concerned face of the kid.  
  
"How you can you live this life? Always on the edge? Exposed to this anguish?" Helena asked now sweating profusely. "And don't tell me it's practice."  
  
"All jobs have their own risks, this isthe price for helping people," Alfred said paying close attention to Helena movements. He felt something was wrong. "And many people like Barbara, and your father, thought that it was worth it. They had changed the lives of many people, I could say hundreds and sometimes thousands. She used the transponder knowing that it would hurt her, but she was just thinking about you."  
  
"This was madness"  
  
"The satisfaction of saving a life is something no other job can give to you."  
  
Helena remembered the face of the girl when she prevented her mother from being killed. She changed the destiny of the girl by saving her mother. She would have liked for someone to have saved her mother's life. "Yes you are right. It would never change the satisfaction I feel either."  
  
"Miss Helena you are pale."  
  
"I'm nervous." she said wipping her forehead again.  
  
Alfred checked the monitors again.  
  
"Alfred will she be okay?" Helena asked hopefully.  
  
"Yes Miss Helena, be optimistic, she is going to be fine." Alfred smiled taking off his gloves.  
  
Helena smiled. Alfred noticed she was staggering slightly, her eyes were closing.  
  
"Miss Helena, something is wrong with you. What happened?" Alfred walked to her.  
  
"I'm okay. I. I just need to rest a while." Helena tried to grab on the edge of the table as she felt her knees buckle. As she started falling she jarred the table causing some of the test tubes to roll off. Alfred grabbed her in time to prevent her from hitting the floor. He felt warm in his hands when he touched her. Alfred then noticed the big thorn embedded in her back just below the shoulder blade. 


	17. Finally at home

Helena tried to grab on the edge of the table as she felt her knees buckle. As she started falling she jarred the table causing some of the test tubes to roll off. Alfred grabbed her in time to prevent her from hitting the floor. He felt warm in his hands when he touched her. Alfred then noticed the big thorn embedded in her back just below the shoulder blade.  
  
"Miss Helena what happened?" He eased her gently into a sitting position on the floor. "Miss Helena?" He avoided turning her on her back so as not to hurt her. He took a scalpel off the supplies table and cut the coat carefully. She groaned when he touched her shoulder.  
  
"This doesn't look good." He said. "How did Poison hurt you?"  
  
"A plant was shooting a thorns at me while I was running to the exit..." Helena swallowed. "I felt it but, it didn't hurt...then"  
  
Alfred examined the wound under her shoulder. He hadn't seen the blood before since it blended in with the black color of her blouse and long coat. "My God! Why didn't you tell me?".  
  
"It wasn't hurting and... Barbara needed help." She whispered. "Is it bad?"  
  
"This wound is serious Miss Helena. Help me get you to the table." Alfred passed his arm around her back and helped her to stand up. Helena could barely support her own weight. He took her to the supplies table and leaned her over it. He began to clean the wound. "Miss Helena this is a bad injury. I cannot understand how you managed to bring Miss Barbara here and stay on your feet for almost an hour."  
  
"Me either." Helena felt her mind blurring.  
  
"You must take better care of yourself." He cut her blouse with the scalpel.  
  
"My blouse..." she growled.  
  
"You have almost forty-five more and in the same color."  
  
"But they are all different."  
  
Alfred noticed she had lost a lot of blood. Her clothes were soaked so he went to the refrigerator and took out a bag containing Helena's blood. Barbara maintained a mini blood bank for emergencies such as this. It was almost impossible to get compatible blood from another person for her.  
  
"Miss Helena, you should have told me before." He said showing his concern for her. He prepared the I.V.. With a needle he connected it to her arm. "Being a hero doesn't mean killing yourself if you can avoid it."  
  
"I didn't feel the pain. I just thought it."  
  
"Miss Helena, I know all the theories about adrenaline. But be aware of yourself, it's a priority in this busines if you want a longer life."  
  
"I promise make a mental note of that."  
  
"This is going to sting." He put on gloves and took forceps to remove the thorn. He gave her a towel to bite on. Rolling it up she clamped down on it hard and groaned when Alfred tugged it free.  
  
"Damn! That hurt!" Helena hissed.  
  
He wiped the wound clean of blood so that he could examine it more closely. "This is deep. I will have to numb the area before I can surture it close."  
  
"Give me a shoot of tequila and I'll be fine." Helena laughed.  
  
"Why are all super-heroes so inflexible at times?" Alfred went to the cabinet to look for the anesthesia.  
  
"Maybe I should buy medical insurance."  
  
"I am sure they would reject you immediately."  
  
"Bad joke."  
  
"Okay" he said raising a needle. "Relax. I will have you stitched up in no time."  
  
Helena closed her eyes. There was just two people that she trusted: one who couldn't help her right now and the other one was him.  
  
* * *  
  
Barbara spent the next three days in bed resting. Alfred had given both a severe lecture on taking better care of themselves. Barbara chafed at the idea of so much time in bed but knew it was necessary. She was bored out of her mind. You can read only so many books before going stir crazy. What she craved the most was her computer.  
  
Barbara was very proud of Helena. Not only had she saved herself but also Barbara's life. Helena has grown up. Now she was sure that the kid could patrol the streets alone. She was brave, smart and agile. Barbara smiled to herself as thought of the irony that the daughter of one of the best thieves in the city would turn out be an excellent crime fighter. Her mind wandered to thoughts of Bruce. She was sure that he would feel proud to know that he had a daughter and that she was very good at what she did.Maybe someday she will be as good as him. Hopefully she would have the opportunity to tell him that.  
  
The door opened and she saw Helena walking in. She had a her left arm in a sling with a briefcase in her right hand.  
  
"Here is your laptop." The kid smiled raising it.  
  
"Thanks..." Barbara said.  
  
Helena went to the other side of the bed and sat down crossing her legs. Barbara took the laptop. "Are you going to work?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, I have alot of work to do. The classes begin soon and..."  
  
"Why you didn't tell me?" Helena rubbed her nose.  
  
"Tell you what?" Barbara asked raising an eyebrow.  
  
"About that machine that helped you to walk."  
  
"Oh, that is just my new invention." Barbara opened turned on off the computer.  
  
"How does it work?"  
  
"It's a subneural response system that interfaces directly with my spine and legs."  
  
"I understand nothing you just said." Helena scratched her head. "That is technobabbling!"  
  
"It's what?" Barbara laughed.  
  
"You're talking to me as if I was some computer geek."  
  
"Okay, in other words I think, therefore my legs moves. But it still need works. It is still in its experimental stage."  
  
"An experiment that hurts you..."  
  
"I need fix it problem since there is a high probablity that it could cause more damage my spine."  
  
"Putting it in the trash is better if there is the possibility of it hurting you more." Helena rested her head in the pillow next to Barbara and turned on the TV.  
  
"All the advances in our world are from people that believed they could make their dreams a reality. My dream is to walk again some day. I could help a lot of people like me if I suceed."  
  
Helena looked her "Just be careful the next time before you try to use that thing."  
  
"Okay. Promise you. How is your shoulder?" Barbara turned her head to see her.  
  
Helena rested her chin on her chest "Pretty good, Alfred is an excellent doctor."  
  
"You scared him." Barbara glared at her.  
  
"So did you, " Helena smirked.  
  
"You both scared me" Alfred said walking in with a tray of medicine. "I think that you both need lessons on "How be a hero and keep me alive."  
  
"You already gave us that lecture." Barbara said.  
  
Alfred looked at her. "The computer please."  
  
"Alfred..." Barbara protested.  
  
"You know that you should be resting." He extended his hand.  
  
"Yes but..."  
  
"Don't look at me, she asked me to bring that thing." Helena said changing the channel on TV.  
  
Barbara gave him the computer and flopped back against the pillows in disgust.  
  
"Well done." He smiled and walked out "Keep an eye on her Miss Helena."  
  
"You heard him" Helena said to Barbara.  
  
"Yes I heard him. Now we can talk about you." Barbara smiled.  
  
"About me?" Helena changed the channel. "This is a great movie."  
  
"I can't see the movie lying on my back. So lets talk about you."  
  
"I just remembered something. You promised me talk to me about Jason."  
  
"No, I didn't promise you anything."  
  
"Yes you told me that we will discuss him later."  
  
"But first we going to talk about your cheating by using the comset in school." Barbara glared to her "Remember I haven't punished you for that yet."  
  
"Punish me?" Helena asked looking her "Why? That was a long time ago! I forgot all about that."  
  
"We have time. You can choose your punishment but I get final approval." Barbara crossed her arms.  
  
"Barbara you can't punish a person on Christmas. It's bad luck." Helena pointed.  
  
"Bad luck? Who says that?"  
  
"Tradition says that."  
  
"Tradition? I never heard about that tradition?" Barbara laughed.  
  
"As I never heard about Jason. Where is he now?" Helena smirked.  
  
"I don't know and it's none of your business." 


	18. Two friends

It was a cloudy day. The cemetery was empty. Barbara was seated in her wheelchair on the sidewalk, next to the Hummer. Her look was lost in the graveyards. It was hard to be there, but she needed be there. She never could say goodbye to Selina, her friend, well, she would never have expected that she would be murdered in that way. A tear fell from her eye. She missed her.  
  
Barbara knew now that she was not just a woman in a wheelchair. She had learned to discover that a person in a wheelchair was as normal as anyone. Sometimes she had been asking to her self if she could survive all the hard success in the last months. And she knew she could, all depended on her, no one else. She could keep going, with out limits  
  
She knew she had to continue not just for her sake but also for her protégée, her dear Helena. She had grown in the last year both mentally and physically. Barbara watched the eighteen year old walking slowly up to her in a long black coat. The desire to wear black clothes showed that she really was the daughter of the lord of the night and the thief of darkness, Catwoman. Helena stood in front of her and smiled.  
  
"You ready?" Barbara asked.  
  
"Mom has been gone for two years." The teen said, "Exactly two years ago today."  
  
Barbara took her hand. "I know."  
  
"I can't believe how much my life changed in one second. I felt alone many times, I watched my world crumble around me. I lost the most important part of my life and I'll never be able to recover from it. I failed her."  
  
"You haven't failed her." Barbara pressed her hand.  
  
"I did. With all my abilities and all my strength; I couldn't use it to help her. If I had known all the things that I know now, I would have helped her, she could be here now. I can't sleep sometimes thinking about that"  
  
"You couldn't take on that responsibility. You were just a kid. It was an unexpected situation; no one could have avoided it. It was all so fast; and you know it." Helena kept silently looking down.  
  
"Tell me something, why do call yourself Huntress?."  
  
"It was just an idea." Helena said looking off into the distance.  
  
"You know that it isn't true." Barbara said softly.  
  
"I wanted to hunt down the killers and bring them to justice. Some day I will get my mom's murder. Someday I'll kill him."  
  
"You know that it's wrong."  
  
Helena raised her shoulders. "Maybe, but it's what I want the most."  
  
"Don't let that feeling control your life. It makes you unhappy. I hope you someday understand... Was that the thing that's been bothering you?" Barbara looked at her.  
  
Helena didn't respond. She kept looking into the horizon; she was sure she would find her mother's killer someday, and on that day, she would take revenge.  
  
"Helena, I couldn't avoid being injured either, and you know that I'm very skilled. Don't blame your self for something that wasn't in your hands." Barbara said.  
  
"And what if it was on my hands?"  
  
"It wasn't, and you must accept that. Neither your or your mother knew in at that moment what your full meta-abilities were; she knew you had it but she hadn't time to develop it. Having abilities is one thing; it's another knowing how to use them. You started to knowing how use them just a short time ago. Now your skills aren't full developed- your smell sense and your sixth sense still are developing; and you need training for that. You still need work in combat, and on controlling your temper, and that is not easy. It takes time."  
  
"Yes, that is true." Helena bit her lip. "I'm trying to understand why all this happened."  
  
"Many things never have an answer." Barbara sighed "Helena, I'm a really difficult person, but you are worse than me. You know our friendship, our relationship hasn't been easy."  
  
Helena blushed, "I'm sorry."  
  
"Hey, it's not only you, it's me too. You are a difficult person, but so am I. I'm not funny, I love being behind my computers, I'm as you say sometimes a library mouse, always behind books. You are younger, love parties, fun time, and you dress with cool clothes." Barbara smiled.  
  
Helena smiled too "Yea, that's right."  
  
"But we are fighting more for our similarities than for our differences."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You are a lot like me in many ways and I didn't even realize;: you don't like opening your door; you love the streets; you are rebellious, impulsive; sometimes you don't think, and you hate the injustices." Barbara recognized laughing lightly "I was so much like you are, but hey, I wasn't in as much trouble as you."  
  
Helena smiled. "Oh, I'm sorry."  
  
"What I'm trying to say you is that the biggest thing of our difference of all the is affect, all the love that I have for you. You are so damn charming that makes me so difficult scold you. Hel, doesn't matter how much trouble you are in, or how many mistakes you make, I love you; and If I scold you it's because I want you to be better."  
  
Helena kept silent for a few seconds. "I never could fight against my pain, my anger and my sadness alone. I was able to deal with it because you were there. I told you once that I couldn't let you in because I just let in the people that I love. I didn't want to love anyone else because it hurts so much when you lose them but." Helena looked at Barbara her eyes brimming with tears. "You are in, you are, and you know it. Maybe I didn't want to accept that and maybe I wouldn't tell you it to you often but, you are in because I love you. I love you so much." Helena hugged Barbara tightly.  
  
"I love you too." She said returning the hug with equal fervor.  
  
"Don't leave me."  
  
"I'll promise I'll try. I will always be there for you. Just promise me you won't steal a panther again."  
  
Helena laughed. "Promise."  
  
Barbara smiled. That day, she discovered her bond with Helena became unbreakable. 


End file.
